To Shine in Mediocrity - the Story of Atlas Hunter Academy
by ZeroXSEED
Summary: Some said the worse thing than bad is mediocrity, but others said the enemy of good is perfection. Those statements doesn't necessarily contradict each other and coexist just fine.
1. Chapter 1

**In which ZeroXSEED write mediocre fic about mediocre protagonist doing mediocre things.**

 **How mediocre you ask?**

 **SUPER MEDIOCRE!**

 **More seriously, this is the story of Jaune Arc, the controversial audience surrogate from franchise RWBY, often said to be getting far too many spotlight for his own good, and he's also often wrote in such a way that the entire fanfiction become his personal wankfest, forgetting his core character in favor of awesome and edge.**

 **_This is not such story._**

 **This is the story of Jaune Arc, the clueless white knight supreme, bumbling his way into Atlas Academy with minimum preparation, where he meet the quirkiest people he can imagine, while wondering whether he's actually cut for this. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **[SHINE IN MEDIOCRITY]**

 **The Story of Atlas Hunter Academy**

 **By**

 **ZeroXSEED**

* * *

 **Chapter 01 - Entrance Exam**

* * *

Jaune sat on the chair, the one of two chairs in the exam room. He wasn't sure if it was on purpose to intimidate him, or there's that few people who entered the academy this way. Written exam begin in five minutes and he's still sitting here in a dimly lit room. He wasn't really sure he studied enough. Actually, _pretty sure_ he haven't studied enough. The last six month were spent, blood and sweat, just to bring his body and basic technique up to spec. And to say nothing of his poor aura control...  
 _  
Focus Jaune, the written exam is the least important, after all._

And he had faith in his mentor.

 _Remember, whatever they did, don't whine._

Heavy footsteps reverberated in the corridor nearby, Jaune's eyes rolled aside to catch the sight of ginger haired girl entering the exam room. Her posture were...stiff, perhaps she was nervous? But her expression doesn't show that. Then again, some of Jaune's friends are exactly like that. See, he doesn't discriminate!

"Good, evening." She said in vaguely monotonic voice, and the gaps between two words caught Jaune off guard. The blond boy smiled, "Good evening, you're doing normal exam too?"

"Affirmative... I mean, yes, I am." She blinked and then nodded, her pupil seemingly retract for a moment, or maybe just his tired eyes.

"Great, nice to meet you. The name is Jaune Arc." He offered his hand friendly, "So who are you, friend?"

"The name, is, Penny, Polendina." The ginger haired girl said, again, with the awkward gaps. Not that he cared. Until she suddenly glared at him, with such intensity it almost scared his bowels out. "Did you just call me...friend?"

Jaune froze for a moment, but then, his worst habit kicked in. "Why not, strangers are just friends you haven't met yet. My Mom always said that." Jaune carelessly babbled, "So now that we met and know each other, we're friends. Well, unless you don't want to. I mean, you have nothing to lose."

"Friend." Penny's expression softened for a moment and contemplated strangely as she sat on her chair, with a loud creak. And then, Penny slowly looked at his direction, her lips stretched wide. "Friend, Jaune is a friend. Wonderful. It's a Pleasure to meet you."

"Err, the pleasure is mine. Hopefully we both passed." _Okay that smile was creepy._ Jaune thought. _What an odd friend I've just meet. Thankfully she didn't mad._

"That would be preferable, yes." She nodded.

The lights suddenly became brighter as a man dressed in military uniform walked in. He wasn't the tallest man in the planet, Jaune thought, but still taller than most. His broad, rock solid shoulders only highlight how much of a bigger man he was, compared to Jaune. His hair cut crew style, typical that of elderly military officer. The sides of his head already started to show some gray lines, as well, even though his appearance look so much younger in comparison.

 _A high ranked General of the Atlas Military_ , Jaune recognized the rank, but not the man himself.

"General Ironwood, sir." Penny stood up and saluted with inhuman precision. Jaune waste no time and emulated his odd friend, even though he don't know if it's required. At the very least he need to show courtesy.

 _Wait, THAT Ironwood?! Shit!_

"Sit down, and at ease." The man said, his voice carried such weight that Jaune can't help but feel intimidated. "My name is James Ironwood, tonight I will personally oversee this exam as your proctor. The line between arrogance and confidence is thin, but I have faith that if the two of you know where to draw that line, you will pass through this test just fine."

He walked slowly toward them and handed them two pieces of paper, each.

"You have twenty minutes." Ironwood said as he return back to the front of the class, before procuring a stopwatch. A holographic screen several meters wide show up behind him with digital time counter. "Begin."

Jaune took his pen out and began filling the sheet with his name and entrance number... not that it's complicated. To begin with, most student of Atlas are combat school graduate. Sadly, Jaune missed that chance and wasted three years of his life in civilian high school.

Most of the question in the first sheet were... generic, to say at the least. He could deal with them just fine. He finished the first sheet in less than five minutes. And then there's second sheet, where his smile turned upside down.

It's all important question pertaining various knowledge of Grimm, Nature, and Combat. He eyed to see Penny diligently filled her own sheets, seemingly uncaring of the countdown the size of small car in front of the class.

 _...well I'm screwed either way. Hopefully my answers are good enough._

Beads of sweat rolled down his pale face as his trembling hands began to write the answers, the best he could muster with. _Don't worry Jaune, ten simple questions, you can finish them in a breeze._

"I am, finished, Sir." Penny raised her hand.

"M-me-too." Jaune echoed.

"Good, hand your test, grab your weapons, and proceed to the next room." Ironwood closed his eyes and ordered.

The holographic countdown disappeared and the wall began to retract down, revealing a larger, taller room filled with debris. From slab of bent metal frame as thick as human torso to broken pieces of concrete walls and pillars scattered around the floor.

Jaune approached his equipment, he grabbed the huge bundle of weapons covered in blue cloth leaning on the wall, and slung it on his back. Penny, however, wore a backpack made of metal, mostly black steel with green highlights. Wonder what kind of weapon she use?

"Obstacle course?" Jaune wondered aloud as he walked in, and then he saw Penny was... oddly serene, as if she don't want to miss every inch of the scene, scanned them in detail with her sharp, green eyes.

The wall shut behind them, and now it's pitch black. Jaune's heart rate spiked up in response.

 _The paper doesn't matter, all that's matter is what happens once you grab your sword._ Jaune remembered his mentor's words. _Fight as if your life is on the line._

His hand clenched tight on the blue cloth bundle, ready to pull it anytime.

"Jaune, your heart rate become highly irregular, and you're sweating a lot. Are you afraid, of the dark?" Penny asked calmly, almost too calm for his comfort. "No I'm not. Aren't you nervous, Penny? This is where the real exam begin."

Jaune heard a little giggle. it was almost... encouraging, "I am combat ready." Penny said confidently, and Jaune heard something clack open nearby, like the sounds of weapon mechanism being activated.

On the other side of the wall, General Ironwood didn't waste his time as he skimmed through the answers to the written test, which deliberately made as simple as possible. Penny's answers were, much to his expectation, unnaturally organized. He wasn't surprised by that at all, everything is well within his expectation.

What surprised him is the sheets of Jaune Arc.

Ironwood furrowed his eyebrow and twitched a little in disappointment. It was honestly baffling.

 _Q: What is Aura?  
A: It's a forcefield that protect your body from harm!_

"What a simpleton." He sighed, this answer is... not wrong, but that's like saying it's not wrong to fill a college entrance exam with the knowledge of a fourth grader. "He better surprise me in the practical. In a good way that is."

The lights flared up again, and the room not only filled by scattered pieces of broken buildings, but also all sort of people and machines. The people were clad in black suit neck down, white tie adorned their necks nicely.

All came with definitely unfriendly manner, when their collective gun muzzles all pointed at Jaune and Penny's direction.

"[These people are upstanding citizen of Atlas, proud member of our Military. And they will use violence to subdue you if required, I want you to respond in kind.]" Ironwood's voice echoed within the chamber, but the man himself was entirely missing. "[Along with them is our second line mechanized combat automaton, feel free to destroy them when required.]"

"Begin immediate analysis, analysis complete. Four human combatant, and, eighteen Atlesian knights." Penny squeezed her eyes, "Jaune, can you see that tank over there?"

It looks like a tank, but relative small in size. It's gun turret aimed at Penny, specifically, while the sponson weapons locked right at Jaune.

Jaune raised his eyebrow, it doesn't look threatening at all. "Automaton? Looks beat up to me."

"Even though it's smal, and old, destroying it would be pretty difficult, thanks to infantry screening, and it's thick armor." Penny corrected him in incredibly cold, almost mechanical tone, "And it's armed with 60mm mortar, which could take significant amount of Aura to absorb. So if possible, don't get hit, or slap the projectile away before it explode. A mortar is much slower than cannon, so you should see the flying shell."

"I see, we'll take on the small fry first and see what happens next." Jaune proposed, "I have a plan."

Ironwood watched everything from very secluded corner on the roof, virtually invisible to people below except from certain angle. He rested his hand on the railing and looked down. This year, only two people entered through conventional exam. Though his face was stone cold and composed, Ironwood was a little bit curious inside, excited even. Though applicants through exams were always rare, just two were rather unprecedented.

And he wasn't sure if Penny counts, since he had unbroken faith of her performance. It's unfair to compare her to the rest. It wasn't like the test was rigged or anything, the test use the same exact standard as it did last year. The point is he know Penny from before she even came here, and consider this test is nothing but formality. After all, Ironwood is bound to the law of the Academy he lead, and he don't discriminate.

So the key participant in this exam is none but Jaune Arc.

His background were nothing exceptional, but still noteworthy. He came from long lineage of hunters, even before hunters exist in it's current, lawfully recognized career. Its' almost to say that Ironwood had significant expectation of him. However, it was odd, at least, that a hunter aspirants to never enter any sort of combat school, or any other formal combat education.

Ironwood don't want to be right, but the rational part of him wondered if he put too much attention in this boy.

The boy currently talked with Penny about... something. It was way too quiet.

 _Now, if only he can show anything of note..._

Gunfire roared as Jaune made his move, dashed between one potential covers to another. That was... basic, but effective nonetheless. His slender form and long legs certainly gave him sufficient speed to evade gunfire, even with heavy equipment carried on his back.

Perhaps this might be where Penny can't catch up. The floor resounded whenever she made a step. Jaune signaled something to the ginger haired girl and she nodded, and they split their ways. They ran through hail of fire, and despite Penny's unfavorable speed, she had the nimbleness to dodge the plasma shots aimed at her. Eight blades launched from her backpack and she spun them without touching them, created a near impenetrable shield that cover her body from the front.

 _...that was uncanny._ Penny's dance-like movements were so precise that she looked less humans than the automaton she faced. _This has to be rectified_ , his rationale said, but Dr. Polendina had promised that she will eventually get better as time passes.

Jaune pulled two objects from his bundle of weapon and wore them as he rolled down the floor to avoid direct hit from high explosive rounds. Looks like a pair of... buckler? Though they're more elongated than usual rounded form, the shields were barely enough to cover his lower arms and elbow.

In unexpected turn of approach, Jaune no longer waste his time for zig-zagging between covers, but straight approach toward the wall of steel in front of him as they sustained a constant burst of fire from their rotary gun. Small caliber ammo bounced harmlessly on his bucklers as he covered his front side.

And in an expected show of strength, Jaune tackled through entire group of knights and broke them apart from sheer impact force of his body and his shield. But the moment he slowed down, men and women in black already surrounded him, swords bare. Jaune barely dodged with his aura intact as he somersaulted away from the ambush, using the switch of center mass to dodge the bullets and plasma that filled the air itself with carnage. "Penny! Your Tur-OW!"

What he didn't count is that he was right into the reach of the automaton tank, which swung it's turret and smack Jaune to nearby wall with it's mortar barrel.

"Good basic, but poor reflex. Not bad." Ironwood noted, so far, everything seems to be within acceptable margin. It was almost boring, to be honest. A lot of students had fallen to the humorous barrel batter trap exactly this way. Only the best of the best managed to dodge it.

Meanwhile, Penny simply rampaged through the four soldiers in black suit. Her seemingly mechanical footwork surpassed that of the four soldier's capability to compensate and react, and with a twist of her elbow, her flying swords spun into makeshift high pitched human blender, breaking through their aura and knocked them unconscious.

"Passed with flying colors. Now..."

Penny's floating swords shifted it's form a bit to reveal a small barrel assembly on the blunt side of the edge. They began to fire a series of neon green beam at the rampaging automated tank. When the plates began to glow from the heat, Penny was hopeful. However, she realized her mistake when the tank body reveal itself as completely unscratched, with only layers of it armor peeled down from the heat.

Penny blinked for a moment and then slapped a mortar shell away from her, fraction of second before it exploded mid air. Distracted, she failed to take account of sponson guns showered her with plasma bolts.

 _It... stings..._

Is this what pain like?

"Focus, Penny!" Jaune called out when he tackled the last group of Atlesian knights that's abut to strike her from behind, his voice snapped Penny of her thoughts and she quickly hides behind the largest piece of concrete nearby.

"Your laser didn't work?" Jaune asked in panic as the rock behind him vibrate from the explosion.

"It's using ablative laminated armor that allow it to shed extraneous heat by peeling off the layers, my particle beam is ineffective. Sufficiently powerful impact or armor piercing rounds should work better." Penny informed as soon as Jaune joined her, for some reason, her eyes shine bright like a flashlight. "It might be possible to destroy it with close combat as well."

Jaune finally pulled the cloth to reveal a relative compact folding tube launcher. He pulled the ammo from the compartment under his buckler. The bottle sized shell fit nicely within the chamber with resounding snap. "I just got the thing."

"Recoiless rifle? That's wonderful." Penny nodded.

"I'll get the opening, then you strike with your beam." Jaune winked, "Let's go!"

Jaune moves forward with Penny's swords surrounding him, deflecting every mortar shot that might hit him while he himself use his bucklers to deflect the weaker shots from the tank's sidearms.

"Penny, clear backblast!"

Penny jumped sky high as Jaune pulled the trigger. High pressure scorching gas passed through the air where she ran before, and high velocity round struck the frontal turret of the tank, pierced the layers of the armor from the impact before cascading and blasted the entire turret apart from within. This caught the A.I. in the tank off guard when it lose many sensors mounted on the turret itself, and in desperation, it retreated guns blazing, unable to hit the target in front of it.

With resounding clack, the spent shell fly away from the chamber and Jaune stored back his gun. At the same time, Penny landed and with a sway from her hand, commanded all of her swords to open fire right where the tank exposed: the smoking hole where the turret lies before.

Without armor to protect it, the beam cored through it's engine without effort. The tank grinds down to a halt, but in the effort to preserve itself it tried to move with emergency battery... only for the two student candidate to crush it's central processor unit with coordinated stomp to the hull.

"It's over?" Jaune said in disbelief as he hopped away, almost like he was dreaming. "That's it?"

"That was sensational." Penny grinned at him, or at least, tried. Seriously that was creepy smile she had.

The black-suited soldiers groaned as the stood up, and then, they began to clap in response, "Excellent Teamwork if I may say." Ironwood jumped from the roof and landed with floor-shattering quake. "It's as if you two are teammates already."

"It's all because Jaune, sir." Penny saluted, "He ordered me to engage the human soldiers immediately while he took care of the Knights."

"Oh and why did you do that, Mister Arc? What makes you think Miss Polendina can deal with them on her own?"

"It's... a hunch sir."  
 _  
...oh fuck me. Jaune you suck._

"A hunch." Ironwood congratulating smile disappeared right away, did Penny oversold this temporary partner of her? "You're putting aside your friend's safety for hunch, Mister Arc?"

"I just know when I saw it, Penny is definitely more skilled than myself, as such, it would be best if she dealt with human combatants first while I take care of the knights." Jaune said with trembled voice, clearly even he realized that Ironwood was displeased with his answer. Penny noticed his distress and added, "By removing all the screening elements, this allowed us to take on the tanks together."

Ironwood's stony gaze seemingly softened again. _Looks like even such mediocrity has value on it's own._ Jaune might not have the knowledge, but his leadership instinct are sufficient. Jaune might not be the best in combat either, but he's definitely good enough. A diamond in the rough, all Ironwood need is to keep grinding the edges.

If Jaune is qualified, then he is qualified. Atlas can always use more qualified students. There's simply never enough hunters to protect the people. The only thing left for Ironwood, is to ensure he's mentally ready for what's to come.

"Miss Polendina, you may return and inform your... family that you've passed the exam, and Mister Arc." Ironwood turned his back to face the student, "Come with me to my office."

Jaune's already light shade of skin became deathly pale. Did he succeed, did he failed? Did he made a grave mistake that will get himself punished? Fear and doubt began to plague his mind, and horrible images began to consume last bit of rational thoughts in his head. He wanted to run, right now.

But he can't. If he leave now, he will never able to show up his face with pride ever again.

"You can do it, my friend." Penny said earnestly, for a moment, she seems indistinguishable from other girls. "We will meet, again."

Jaune's fear was eased, but only a little. The moment her ginger curls disappear in the dark corridor, his fear returned in full.

* * *

 **つづく**


	2. Chapter 2

With increasingly insecure feel, Jaune tapped the floor with his thick rubber soles, before Ironwood glared at him. And then he promptly froze standing, unmoving.

He thought the walk on the empty corridor is bad, but elevator ride with just two of them? Terrifying that's what. Jaune heard a lot about Ironwood, and most of these things are great. Which is why it scared him shitless. He don't want to fail expectations from someone like that. _Not again._

 _You can do this._

"When you first came here I was surprised." Ironwood said, seemingly in the lightest tone Jaune heard entire day. "I see someone dressed in to get dirty, I thought to myself, this one has potential."

The door to Ironwood's office, which basically the elevator door, slide open, revealing a utilitarian yet busily used office. Piles upon piles of documents neatly arranged in a way that it doesn't look intrusive at all, blending with the neat furniture arrangement of the office itself.

Ironwood stood up and face the giant window facing the white landscape in front of the academy. The tower, at 400 meter tall, by no means short, but it was dwarfed by the seemingly endless circle of mountain surrounding the region. Those mountain act as a weather deterrent that allow people to live and prosper in the southern part of the north pole itself.

But that's not it's only purpose.

"Jaune, do you know why this academy still standing today? How the city behind us can grow so tremendous?"

Jaune was about to say the hunters and the military but... he tried to read deeper into Ironwood's question. He looked at the scenery and mustered, "The mountains, sir?"

"Indeed." Ironwood said firmly, "Just like in Beacon and Mistral, those mountain range not only works as umbrella to shield us from the savage climate of the main continent, but they also serves a chokepoint where only the smallest grimm can move through unhindered. Though simple geographical challenges, the larger Grimm can only follow specific route through the valleys between them... which is where the Military put their strongest defense."

"You came from Vacuo, where no such convenient area doesn't exist. Isn't that right."

"Yes, Sir." Jaune nodded.

"Did your town often have encounter with Grimm?"

"Not very often, sir."

"Have you fought Grimm before?"

"Yes, well, not alone, Sir."

He was the backup. But still, he had done it before. He had killed Grimm several times. From range...

"Your transcript said you came from Civilian school, graduated a year ago, and then enlist in Vacuo Militia." Ironwood said, "What, exactly, did you do there?"

Jaune was hard pressed. It's not that he had bad memories or anything, but the pressure from Ironwood's increasingly less friendly tone came to haunt him right in the face. It was like trying to scream through an explosion, crying through a sandstorm. No one can help him but his own mouth, and he didn't trust his mouth not to ruin everything he strife for.

"Basic military training, border guard, and patrol... Sir."

 _That was a good answer, thank God._

"I expect that much, you get a very solid basic, that much I can give." Ironwood nodded as he sit on his chair and scratched his eyebrow a bit, Jaune felt the knot in his throat loosened a bit and he let loose a faint breath. Did Ironwood began to recognize something good?

And then his hopes dashed away, robbed by Ironwood's simple question.

"But if it's just the basic, everyone can do just that. By entering combat school and graduating properly." Ironwood eyed him, "Those documents are transcripts of combat school graduate that applies to this Academy. What makes you think you're good enough to stand with them?"  
 _  
What the hell._

I passed the exam, what more does he want?

"I passed the exam, sir."

"Do you? I didn't remember saying that." Ironwood grinned incredulously, almost uncharacteristic from his usual cold and militaristic demeanor. "But yes, you passed the exam."

Beads of sweat began to roll down Jaune's cheek. He was right, PENNY passed the exam. Jaune... did Jaune passed? Ironwood didn't say anything about it. Well now Ironwood said that, but Jaune felt that's not the only thing he wanted to talk about.

"You remind me so much of myself, back when I was young and experienced. Tell me, Mister Arc, why do you come here?" Ironwood asked.

"I want to be a Huntsman." Jaune said aloud.

"And why, do you want to be a huntsman? Money? Prestige? Knowledge? Power? What do you seek?" Ironwood asked again, this time even louder. "Why do you come here?!"

"I WANT TO BE A HERO!" Jaune shouted, "I WANT TO BE A HERO, JUST LIKE MY FATHER, MY GRANDFATHER, AND MY GRANDFATHER HAVE BEEN! I WANT TO BE A HERO JUST LIKE YOU ARE, SIR!"

 _Good, Jaune, you just killed your future career. If only you could shut your fucking trap just once..._ Jaune winced, he was halfway crying inwardly.

"A hero." Ironwood stood up and removed the glove that covered his right hand, "That is an admirable goal, you don't have to be ashamed of it. Let me just ask you something then: what price would you pay to be a hero? The lives of your loved one? Your family? Your friends? Your own life?"

Ironwood slowly unbuttoned his uniform, revealing a gleaming surface underneath instead of undershirt. Jaune's eyes wide open as he saw everything in front of him. Ironwood removed his upped jacket to show that half his body were nothing but metal. Underneath solid plates that form his chest and abs, Jaune could see bundles of metallic muscle writhe in response to Ironwood's breath. His arm flexed and stretched, with faint electrical whines that reverberates within the silent room.

The fact that it looks natural scared Jaune more than anything else, metals shouldn't work like that. It looks so painful that Jaune could feel it himself. Jaune had seen people with prosthesis, but to think someone has half their body replaced...Just what kind of injury Ironwood suffered to get those?! Jaune couldn't even think about it, putting himself in Ironwood's place... impossible.

It was too painful, too frightening to imagine.

"This is the price I pay to become a hero... or so you people called me." Ironwood said, almost saddened. "Are you willing to pay that price?"

"I... Sir?"

"Are you ready to sacrifice what you hold dear, even your own lives?" Ironwood repeated, "Are you willing to carry your wound and shame through every trial and tribulations you may face, in your quest to become a hero?"

Jaune was quiet. He wanted to answer that, but he couldn't. He's a proud liar, and he could always lying through the teeth trying to impress everyone around him. But not Ironwood. The man stared right through his façade, the man could see what lies underneath. Ironwood saw it within Jaune.

Ironwood saw fear and doubt.

Jaune's eyes became moist. He held his tears so much that he choked himself on it, unable to say anything.

The elevator slide open behind Jaune, and a tall woman with white hair walked in. Her high heels made her footsteps louder than it should.

"You have so much potential, but your mind still not ready, Mister Arc." Ironwood wore his uniform again and tightened it's buttons, "Should you make your decision to continue your study, come back to me. My office will always been open for you."

"Please excuse me... sir." Jaune weakly said as he ran.

The woman looked at the frightened boy, and then back to the General.

"...I think I've just done something wrong." Ironwood rubbed his temple with the fingers of his robotic right hand, "I was too hasty, I feel like I misjudged him."

"Sir?"

"I think I scared a potential student away." Ironwood clenched his fist.

"Again?" The woman asked, rather bluntly, even. Ironwood took a moment to think, "...yes, that might not be the first time."

"...you need to rest, Sir. Your emotion might have clouded your judgment. You don't usually lose your cool over such trivial matters." She said firmly, without being rude about it.

"I wish I can, Schnee." Ironwood said, "But no, the well-being of my student is not a trivial matters."

 _But I can't rest just yet, there's so many things to do. Those kids came here entrusting their future under my tutelage. Just like I expect the best out of them, I will give them my best effort._

That resolute mind never left Ironwood's thought for even a second.

Jaune Arc, so far, has been... hard to measure. All of his qualities and flaws, it all even out. Ironwood has no doubt that Jaune have what it takes to be a great huntsman. However, Jaune had to pass the final hurdle first before he unlock his true abilities.  
 _  
Just this once, make me surprised, Jaune Arc. Come back here before initiation and show me how much have you grown by then._

* * *

 **[SHINE IN MEDIOCRITY]**

 **The Story of Atlas Hunter Academy**

 **By**

 **ZeroXSEED**

* * *

 **Chapter 02 - Priority**

* * *

Jaune was about to leave with his bike until he noticed Penny being surrounded by Atlesian soldiers near the skyports. Jaune wonder for a moment, perhaps Penny have ties with military? It's not much of a stretch. Military in Atlas doesn't have the same stigma as it is in three other kingdoms, but especially in Vacuo.

He himself has no particular bias against Military, mostly out of ignorance of why people hate them so much. Something about Monopoly of force... or something. His History lesson has been a little rusty, but it has something to do with Military being de facto instrument of War. And after the Great War and Faunus War happened, the three kingdoms decided to dismantle their military, replaced them with less formal Militia and partially militarized Police force.

 _Heh, dismantled._ Jaune laughed to himself, wasn't Mantle the name of the old kingdom that exist before Atlas?

He noticed that Penny waved at his direction stiffly, as if to call him.

So he decided to slowly rode his bike toward her, until a pair of Atlesian soldier blocked his way. The way they gestured weren't exactly threatening, but still obstructive all the same. "Halt, where are you going, kid?"

"Sorry, I thought this is not restricted Area." Jaune winced, so he decided to shout at his friend. "Hey Penny, I thought you already went home?"

"My father, had something to take care off. So I am, ordered to wait, for another ride." Penny said, the combination of her monotone and hesitation were uncomfortable to hear. Jaune tilted his head in confusion, until realizations hit him.

Being in Atlas, penny probably had ties to military, probably her father is in the military even. Jaune wouldn't be surprised if that's the case. And judging from how soldiers were assigned to escort Penny, her father must be someone quite important.

He might be dense at times, but this one is way too obvious.

"What about you, Jaune? Did you, pass the exam?" Penny's eyes widened, full of curiosity.

"Yes! Yes I passed! Well... technically. I passed." Jaune averted his gaze, the little pride and satisfaction gained from the fact that he's qualified had been crushed to fine dust by the sheer amount of fear and uncertainty that burdened his heart from Ironwood's little introspective talk. "I think maybe I should give it a little more thought whether to continue or not."

"Why?"

What a simple question, and simple question hurt him the most. _Why? Because Jaune Arc is a fucking coward, that's what._

"I don't know, it seems easy at first but if you think about it... it's quite frightening prospect." Jaune smiled bitterly, "I mean, don't you feel afraid? Being hurt, that is."

"I, am not afraid." Penny said straightforwardly, "I, wouldn't like being hurt. But I, am not afraid."

"Well that's not what I mean but... nevermind." Jaune sighed, "Can I have your number?"

"Oh?" Penny's eyes widened.

Jaune heard something clicked and then crawl around Penny's shoulder, which... looks like digital camera with legs. Some kind of pet robot, he assume, which actually pretty common in Atlas. The robot whined and beeped, like the sound of old internet modem. But Penny listened to it intently, somehow. Maybe Penny was wearing an earphone?

"He's a friend. He's also going to Atlas, via entrance exam."

 _Whine-whine._

"No. I haven't meet him, before today."

 _Beep-boop, beep-boop._

"Can you, clarify, father?"

 _Beep-beep, whine._

"Okay." Penny raised her Scroll and Jaune raised his, and they exchanged contact. For a moment, Penny looked like she's really happy about it and jumped a little. "Now, we have each others' numbers. Sensational."

"Thanks, and sorry for disturbance, everyone. I'll call you later, Penny." Jaune smiled and turned back his motorcycle and dash away at modest speed.

Though the easiest transportation method to Atlas is through the Skyports via airships, there are a single, heavily defended roads leading to Atlas from the city. Jaune saw no reason why he even bother using the ferry, and so he decided simply to follow the road trails downhill with his all-terrain 2x2 bike.

Even though southern part of Remnant north pole are both of high enough temperature for humans to live comfortably, and for crops to grow, it's still fairly cold in comparison to everywhere else. The temperature never exceed 299 degree on the absolute scale even in the short summer it enjoyed. It is certainly much, much colder than Vacuo.

Cold mist of the night touched his skin gently as he raced through the road, and his aura flared and trickled to protect him from hypothermia.

 _Why I am even here anyway, I should've go to Shade Academy instead._

 _Oh right I board the wrong airship, silly me._ Jaune scoffed, and by the time he get enough money to return back to Vacuo, the exam date almost over. In desperation, he applied to Atlas Academy, hoping that he might be good enough to get in.

And he was good enough, everything should be fine right?

No.

It's not. Clearly he haven't been thinking this through. He should have insisted to get his ass in the combat school, he shouldn't have been a spoiled good boy that follow his parent's order...

He... wanted to blame Ironwood about it, but he can't. Ironwood wasn't wrong to question his readiness. Jaune... well, he felt even worse. Originally, he doesn't even bother to take the exam and just use the fake transcript he found, not _earn, found_. As for _how_ , let's just say it's a drug bust gone wrong. Had he used the fake transcript... how would it gone?

Would Jaune enter the academy with even less common sense than he did right now? He don't know, he's far too dumb for this philosophical bullshit. He just want to stop being the loser he always been, the bystander that can't do anything and had to watch from the sidelines.

He's tired of being the damsel in distress.

What's done is done, all he need to think about now, is whether he's ready to become a huntsman or not.

 _Maybe I can go back to being part of Militia? That's a good idea. I mean, I'm good enough to be Atlas student, that means I can be the best militia member! Ha, how about that?!_ Or maybe, he's just trying to delude himself with masturbatory thought.

He needed a drink.

In the end, Jaune settled for mid-class cafe than wasting his money on alcohol. The cafe was much more crowded than he first came here, but he could manage. Ah, there's one empty table.

Jaune was happy, until he noticed that he sit at the same time as a girl in black robe. They exchanged glance for a moment. A set of mirror-like eyes looked at his own cerulean ones, and they blinked.

It wasn't until five seconds later that they regained function of their tongue.

"So uh... I could just leave, sorry about that." Jaune said awkwardly.

"No-no-no, I'd leave right now. It's okay, you must be waiting for someone. Maybe?" She wryly smiled, "...Do you?"

"...Uh... I'm not." Jaune said, and sit down again, "...let's just share the table. Deal?"

"Sure." She giddily nodded and sit down, as uncomfortable as she could. It must be really, really new for her to sit with strangers. Then again, she looks really young, maybe fifteen? Jaune wonder why she looks so... reserved, no, reserved might be too much of an understatement. She constantly look left and right, noticing the unfamiliar terrain around her and certainly memorizing it.

"Sir, ma'am, may I get your orders?" A tall waitress approached them in surprisingly cordial, professional manner.

"Two warm cup of Ginger tea." Jaune said, "My treat."

"Uh, err. Well, could I have some lemon biscuit?" The girl said in response, not sure whether to reject him or not. But in the end she didn't reject his offer. "You're new here aren't you?" Jaune asked, "Don't worry, I was like that too."

"Yeah, I'm Ruby, Ruby Rose from Patch." She said with a pause, "Where do you come from...?"

It doesn't take to long for the waitress to serve the dish, as they're default menu that doesn't take much time to brew. Jaune paid for two steaming cups, and Ruby paid the biscuits.

"I'm Jaune Arc, from Vacuo." He offered his hand, and grinned. "Sweet short, rolls off the tongue, ladies love it."

Ruby looked at him hesitatingly, before shortly returning a friendly retort with uncomfortably flirty expression as she exchanged a handshake. "Do they~?"

Well that certainly caught Jaune off guard, girls usually scorned him whenever he introduced himself that way, regardless what his mother said about it's effectiveness. As such, he learned to use it whenever he's NOT picking up girls. "Erm. I'm certain my mom are joking when she said that, and so did I." He coughed.

"It is a nice name." Ruby shrugged and took a sip form her cup, feeling the gentle heat to flow down her throat.

"So are yours, such a beautiful name fits you really well." Jaune assured her, which made her drop her jaw for a moment, with red tinge drawn on her cheek. Ruby switched her attention to the lemon biscuit... and savor all but one in rapid succession to distract herself from blushing again.

 _This is not the time to pick up foreigner girls, let alone much younger than yourself. ...God damn it, Jaune! you just had to keep dig deeper, do you?_ For all he knows, Ruby could be underage, and that's bad. Really bad. _Switch topic, switch topic._

"So, mind telling me why are you here, Ruby?"

"Oh, I actually supposed to meet my mother but she had to deal with something. So I decide to wander around and sightseeing. I mean it's not everyday I can visit foreign town so yeah, I'm just wandering around here aimlessly." Ruby explained with rather inhuman speed, and Jaune almost lost it in the middle.

Jaune raised his eyebrow in surprise, "That's kind of dangerous isn't it? No offense, but how old are you?"

"Don't worry, I can take care of myself." Ruby childishly laugh and patted her relative modest chest, "The bad guys will not see me coming."

The ground shook hard as series of explosions triggered only few dozens meter from the cafe, roughly where the police precinct are located. Jaune's eyes stretched in horror as he saw bodies alongside debris flew from the shockwave. He wonder how many of them have enough aura to resist direct exposure to the blast.

"WHAT THE?!" Jaune shrieked, few octaves higher than he thought he could.

Ruby emptied her cup shortly before walked toward the direction of the fire cautiously, pulled what looks like large caliber carbine from under her black cloak. The rest of the cafe patron decide to run away, though, surprisingly most of them don't look panicked. Police siren blared in between the roaring flames that consumed the buildings and it's surrounding.

 _Don't listen, get away Jaune, you're going to die. Just quietly walk and grab your motorcycle out of here._

But he can't really ignore her alone."Ruby? RUBY!" He called, but the young girl didn't listen and cocked her gun, clearly ready to fight whatever attacked the police station.

Jaune clenched his teeth and closed his eyes again.

 _My father, my grandfather, and his father before him were all warriors! They were all heroes! I wanted to be one, too. I was just never good enough._

With newfound determination, he grabbed his bundle of weapon and rip away the cloth, a small figurative torch burned behind his crystal blue eyes, brighter than the moon itself. His recoiless rifle hung on his back as he fitted his storage buckler on his arms.

"Ruby, wait, Listen." He grabbed her shoulder, "Don't just charge ahead without a plan, okay?"

"I always have a plan." Ruby smiled confidently.

And then, several cars, pickup trucks, and motorbikes passed in front of them at high speed. Jaune and Ruby, with their enhanced sight, could pinpoint the riders the moment they approached. Black bodysuit paired with dull white bulletproofed vest. Black hoodie obscuring their hair, and frighteningly uncanny bone mask camouflaged their face. Bony white mask with red pattern, the mask of the Grimm.

Jaune knew that style all too well.

"White Fang." Jaune gritted his teeth, and then he quickly grabbed Ruby's cloak shortly before she tried to recklessly pursue them on foot. "Get on my bike!"

Jaune wondered if he will regret this soon enough, but there's no turning back. If he run away now, he will surely regret it for the rest of his life.

 _I'm tired being the bystander._

* * *

 **つづく**


	3. Chapter 3

The roaring low knock of the engine, for a moment, distracted Ruby more than anything else. The way the whole bike vibrated did not help either. She doesn't feel uncomfortable, but the sensation of sitting on Jaune's unique bike certainly a whole new one for her.

"Really loud, and strange, I like it." Ruby said as her short, yet solidly built arm curl around Jaune's stomach. "What kind of engine is that?"

"Really? I got myself a ticket because it violated the vehicle noise and emission regulation. Had to buy new muffler and filter as soon as I came here." Jaune laughed, "It's called Diesel, the obese old men of automotive engine. They yell and kick hard at low throttle, but as soon as you speed up they cry like babies. I don't know if I'm fast enough to catch up with them."

"We wouldn't know unless you try." Ruby assured him.

Jaune chuckled as he pulled the throttle and switched the gear. The bike lurched forward with immense acceleration, and yet, its front wheel never left the ground like any other bike would. Ruby was extremely surprised, and thrilled with the new discovery.

"We'll catch up with them in no time, Jaune." Ruby yelled as she pulled her Carbine and aim, Jaune balked and scolded her, "Ruby! You're going to fall!"

"Oh I got this! Just keep the bike steady okay?" Ruby yelled carelessly.

"You're much more daring than you appear." Jaune grumbled and then revved his bike even harder.

By the time Jaune reached full speed, he recognized there are several police bike and at least one armored car in the pursuit of White Fang, however, they seems to be wary of necessary aggression, and keep their distance from the swarm of White Fang vehicles.

The terrorist group expected pursuer, but they certainly didn't expect this one. As the dark green diesel bike howled and rattled like an angry mechanical bull, they began to shoot at its direction in panic. The front side of Jaune's bike handily deflects the smaller bullets, but Jaune knew well they won't last as he gritted his teeth and brace.

And when he saw these masked jerks stood on top of the pickup truck, aiming what looks like shoulder carried launchers; he knew he had to get out of their line of sight.

"Lean left!" Jaune said and Ruby followed his action, and the road exploded as a rocket launched from White Fang's cars hits the road surface, throwing chunks of concrete everywhere.

"You okay?" Jaune asked, his aura managed to protect him from stray shrapnel that dent most of his bike's body. "This is perfect!" Ruby grinned and fired. Fifty caliber explosive bullets split the air in fraction of seconds and slam right into one of motorcycle's battery; cascading damage triggered the dust stored within compartment and detonated it. Intense painful scream briefly followed as the White Fang members on top of said bike engulfed by high voltage plasma cloud.

"...aren't you a little bit vicious?" Jaune said as he guide his bike around and then made it jumped off a ramp, high enough that the White Fang no longer able to aim his position. Ruby cocked the bolt of her carbine and destroyed another bike with flawless precision shot before the gravity began to take over and pulled the bike down, back to the road.

"Its okay, their aura should hold." Ruby smiled serenely, in contrast to the carnage she just inflicted, it was kind of frightening for Jaune, but maybe he's really the odd one out. He never liked fighting people after all.

Ruby's bullets however failed to pierce the body of the pickup car in front of her; instead, the explosion from the bullet took chunks of its body part. None of her shot penetrated, at all. It does however, prevented White Fang from launching another rocket salvo, which is good.

"...I don't have AP bullets with me." Ruby sighed.

"Well, let's see if you like mine." Jaune let the throttle sit on it's position while his right arm pulled and unfolded his recoiless rifle. He locked the handlebar with almost suicidal confidence and then, with both free hands, loaded the recoiless rifle and put it on his shoulder. "You got them on sight?"

"I got them!" Ruby charged her aura into the huge caliber rifle and flinched, she didn't expect it would take much more aura than her carbine did. "Clear back! Shoot!" Jaune signaled, and Ruby pulled the trigger. Deafening blast erupted behind the rifle while twenty millimeter armor piercing incendiary rounds tore through the car's body like paper and blew fist sized burning hole on it.

"Whoops, I didn't hit the engine." Ruby squeaked.

The car slowed down to a crawl as Ruby still managed to hit something important on accident, judging from how the engine still working, Jaune bet it's the gearbox. Four white Fang members jumped off the car and tried to escape, and with the way Atlas infrastructure works, it wouldn't take much for them to accomplish. The inner city is so densely packed that aircraft would have a hard time maneuvering around skyscrapers, one more problem for Atlesian police.

However, black light circle appeared under their feet and somehow pulled them to the ground, crushing them with invisible force.

"What was that?" Ruby wondered.

"I don't know, but we should keep going." Jaune shrugged.

This moment gave the police time to catch up, and Jaune continued his pursuit.

It would be a lie if he said he didn't wonder about it too. But before he could finish his train of thoughts, something else came. High speed wind bolts flew over their head and smashed yet another bike into pieces without triggering an explosion, the destruction of the bike left the rider and passenger tumbling around on the road before knocked unconscious. High pitched whine of a horse echoed before something white and big landed nearby, and still running. The mysterious mist that covered it it made it had to discern, but it DOES resemble some kind of four legged animal.

"A horse?!" Ruby blinked.

Rapid sounds of galloping horse reverberated on the road as the mist began to dissipate, and indeed, it was a horse.

A mechanical horse.

Sitting on the back of the horse was silver-haired girl in snow white longcoat, twelve pointed snowflake emblem emblazoned her narrow back with pride. Her right hand holding the reins while her left hand wield a long rapier-no, a cavalry blade with revolving dust canister.

However, more than the fact that there's a girl on a mechanical horse, Ruby is more interested with the fact that the relatively small horse can keep up... no, it's faster than the bike she and Jaune ride on.

"FAST!"

The silver haired girl shouted and her horse responded in kind, jumped over as another rocket was launched at their direction. "Why were you daydreaming there?! Shoot them!" She said as her robot horse touch the ground again.

"Well I know about that." Jaune grumbled and cocked the bolt, a small bottle sized empty shell came out and he loaded fresh one. Ruby fired her carbine twice and blew the tires of a truck, slowing it down. This gave Jaune the opening as he pointed his rifle sideways and fired.

The cannon shell cored through the side of the truck, right to the engine. Small explosions were triggered and the truck began to lose its torque.

However, Whiter Fang members refused to give up as they keep firing their weapon toward the direction of Jaune and the girl with robot horse.

Ruby dashed into a red blur and left rose petals in her wake. In the blink of an eye, she's already standing on the truck's roof, and she faced at least half a dozen masked assailants alone.

"RUBY! WHAT THE HELL!"

"Don't worry about me!" Ruby said as she spun her carbine, which unfold and extend itself into longer rifle with curved bayonet... no, not a bayonet. A war scythe head, right near the muzzle brake. The total length is longer than Jaune is tall, making the size difference almost ridiculous. Jaune knows the carbine was huge and heavy as soon as she sat on the backseat, now he knows WHY.

The truck's boxy rear compartment split open much to Ruby's surprise; she jumped and landed to be greeted by almost a dozen people dressed in White Fang uniform.

And half of them began to aim at Jaune's direction.

"OH SNAP!"

Jaune hits the front brake hard and spun his bike in place to avoid the subsequent barrage of gunfire, and took the chance to reload shortly before throttled his bike again to catch up.

What he saw next was amazing.

With speed he never seen before, Ruby sliced and diced through the mass of White Fang group and disable them with the blunt side of her scythe. Her silver eyes gleamed with confidence as she slipped through hail of bullets and smack aside the white fang members away from the truck, and they dropped with resounding thuds on the road.

All in the time span of half a minute.

"How was that?" Ruby twirled her scythe and then posed with pride.

"CAREFUL!"

What Ruby didn't see was a massive arm swung and smashed her with thousand pounds of force; her tiny body flew aside with velocity that would splatter lesser beings on the pavement. Jaune reached for her hands but failed, his heart stopped for a moment as he saw Ruby's figure passed through the highway barrier-

Green aftereffects draw the night road with colorful lights, a girl with jet-propelled backpack caught Ruby before she fell down.

And then Jaune finally recognize her. "GOOD JOB PENNY!"

"Be careful, Jaune. The machine is possessed." Penny warned as she put the unhinged Ruby on the backseat again. "I'll try to fight it."

The machine stood at least four or five meters tall, shaped like a knight, it's platinum white plating gleamed under the road lights. And yet, Jaune can only feel a sense of terror from it's very presence.

It's a familiar presence indeed. The presence of a Grimm...

The girl on the horse pointed, "HOW COULD BE THAT THING IS HERE?!"

"Brrrrah... Huh, you know?" Ruby shook her head and regained her consciousness. Then she opened her scroll. "Whoa, my Aura took a solid hit."

"SDC property." The girl growled, "Don't be fooled, it's old, but it's stronger than average Hunter academy student. It's an automated killing machine of highest quality, and the Grimm inside it grants it three times as much output as normally."

"How we can stop THAT?!" Jaune pointed quite logically.

"If it's just me... I wouldn't be able to win." The girl smirked arrogantly, "But there are four of us."

"OH GOD MY BABY ISN'T HERE!" Ruby shrieked as she found her weapon missing, "WHERE IT IS! PICK IT UP PLEASE!"

"Can you use a bike, Ruby?"

Ruby nodded furiously as she shook Jaune's shoulders in tears, "Yes, yes I can, just pick my baby first, please!"

"Well, feel free to do just that."

Jaune locked the handle again and jumped across, landed on the back of the truck with firm resolution. Even though his legs rattled in terror, his face showed nothing of such. Ruby unlocked the handle and took over the bike, and made a one hundred eighty turn to retrieve her fallen scythe.

* * *

 **[SHINE IN MEDIOCRITY]**

 **The Story of Atlas Hunter Academy**

 **By**

 **ZeroXSEED**

* * *

 **Chapter 03 - Courage and Fear**

* * *

The Knight grabbed what looks like a massive cannon-blade hybrid, with two straight edge and thirty millimeter cannon in the center. Even against aura user, such level of firepower could be dangerous. Furthermore, Jaune could see at least two pair of micro missile launchers on its shoulders.

The girl on the horse jumped and stood aside Jaune, seemingly undisturbed. More than anything else though, she looked at the possessed machine with utter disgust and contempt.

"Looks like it got a couple of new toys." The girl widened her stance and raised her cavalry blade, its revolving chamber slowly rotate and then locked in position as electricity crackled through the surface of its blade. "It'll be even harder fight than expected."

The Knight raised its missile pods and delivered a salvo of quadruple missiles toward Penny. Penny stopped midair and made a dive toward the road before she made a sharp recovery. Even so, only one of the missiles failed to follow and explode as it made contact with the road surface.

Three missiles that survived the hard turn chased Penny despite her tremendous flight speed.

Penny pulled a pair of swords and bent their handle, revealed gun barrels hidden on the flat, blunt edge. With pinpoint accuracy, she shot down the missiles with a single beam.

However she failed to see four more missiles and only managed to intercept two more. Two missiles struck her dead on, burning the cloth of her sleeves and Penny's smoking body fell with a clatter.

"PENNY!" Jaune screamed in rage, before switching his attention to the murderous machine, "YOU BASTARD!"

"She'll survive, but we need to take this monster down before anyone else got hurt." The girl hissed.

The knight raised its blade cannon and fired, but Jaune already anticipated and fired his own fully charged recoiless Rifle. Armor piercing round from his weapon tore through the larger shell with only slight change of trajectory and hit the left shoulder of the knight, detonated one pair of the missile pods and took the left arm with it.

The girl slide with elegance and ferocity that almost equals that of what Ruby displayed before, her excess aura formed a trail of white and yellow as her electrically charged blade struck the machine's joints dead on, and it fell on its knees.

The knight swung its massive blade but the girl simply jumped and stood on the blade without care before sliding down the blade and slashed the knight with high voltage strike in the effort to stun it.

However, the girl didn't see a head-sized metal fist aimed toward her head.

She clenched her eyes in anticipation and raised her weapon trying to block, but the fist never made contact.

Instead, Jaune crossed his gauntlet and took the full force of the punch, the whole truck shook from the released momentum but Jaune stood there unmoving. The knight came down with its blade, but again, Jaune held his ground and caught it, despite the truck's chassis already bent from the second impact.

The knight tried to pull its blade, but June held into it like his life depended on it. Cold sweat fell down his chin, and yet, he's grinning. His fingers gripped the blade tightly, and his aura flared to prevent injury.

The girl already flew behind the giant knight and came down at a quarter of speed of sounds, her kinetic energy concentrated on the tip of her cavalry blade, already reinforced by aura to increase durability and penetration power.

"Checkmate." Jaune whispered.

The thin, rigid blade of the weapon pierced through the back of the knight, and the possessed machine was burnt from inside from the unleashed torrent of fire. Black smoke bleeds form the gaps of its joints and the leftover husk fell down without grace.

Jaune took a deep breath and sat on the floor, his aura flickered as it's on the verge of running out.

"That was careless of you!" The girl shouted, "The punch from that knight caused this if you must know!" The girl pointed the small but ugly scar that covered the area around her left eyes.

"It's okay; people always said I have a lot of Aura." Jaune laughed between gasp, his breath has yet to recover. "But we need to stop this truck."

"Leave it to me!"

The girl grit her teeth and stabbed the engine compartment, before she unleashed full power of light blue dust and encase the whole truck in thick layer of ice. She grabbed Jaune's weakened body and jumped. She and Jaune managed to land on the back of her mechanical horse.

"It's going to fall!" Jaune shouted. "There are civilians down there!"

"We must stop it!"

The roar of the diesel engine marked Ruby's magnanimous return, Penny on the backseat. And yet, her frightened expression betrayed her. "WHOAAAA!"

The truck fell on its side, slowing down thanks to the friction of the road. However, the distance was too great for it to stop on its own, and had it not stopped, it would break through the highway and possibly fell on the traffic underneath.

Penny jumped again, this time around; she landed on the road with arms outstretched. The loud crash that happen made Ruby wince, but the truck slowed down quickly.

Their feet dug to the highway as the momentum from the truck transferred through their legs. However, the truck's frozen body that made contact with her hands began to cave in from the sheer force involved, and then, dropped with a road-busting thud.

With a loud skid, Ruby stopped Jaune's bike near Penny. Ruby dropped down and panted loudly, clearly shaken by the experience.

The white haired girl scolded Penny as she jumped off her horse, "You could be hurt!"

"It's better than letting the truck fall." Penny monotonously answered and nudged her head toward the traffic underneath.

Jaune shook his head in exasperation and turned to Ruby and Penny. "You two okay?"

"I'm okay; just... give me a minute." Ruby waved weakly, her legs still shaky. "I'm unhurt." Penny said... while hiding her hands suspiciously, and then hiccuped.

Jaune of course noticed it. "Penny, your hand."

"I'm okay-HIC!" Penny hiccuped again.

"Penny, we're friends, friends don't keep minor secrets like being hurt in action." Jaune stressed and grabbed her wrist, "Show me."

Penny looked left and right, clearly worried. Thankfully the white haired girl seems preoccupied with the girl in red, and penny felt safe enough to show it. Gleaming dark metal surface on her palms were exposed, as the fake skin above it were torn. Jaune's eyes widened in shock, no wonder Penny hides it. He gulped in terror as he slowly let her hand go.

Moreover, his action probably hurt Penny more than her own wound. Even though Penny's eyes always look lifeless, he could see the disappointment reflected from her expression.

"I'm sorry, Jaune, I'm not actually-"

"It's alright." Jaune told her and handed her his pair of wool gloves, "We all have secrets we don't want to share, I'm sorry I forced you to show it. It must be embarrassing."

"...Pardon? But wouldn't you need these?" Penny looked at these gloves with curious expression. "It's like Sir Ironwood right? I mean, prosthetic. I mean, I've seen some of my friends wear one too, but I'm still kind of shocked." Jaune cut her off again, "They're kinda worn out and dirty, but for now it should suffice."

Penny opened her mouth to correct his one-sided conclusion, but then the spider-bot crawled from her backpack and beeped.

"...Okay father." Penny sighed, and then, sent a clearly forced smile at him. "And you… thank you, Jaune, my friend."

Penny looked down to notice something fell from Jaune's coat pockets when he pulled his gloves out of it. "Jaune." She said as she pointed at it.

"Ah, my scarf."

Jaune picked up the object and let it hang on his grip. It was old, and certainly show, with how badly worn the fabric is. Its dark blue dye almost washed out replaced by ugly white color of an old cotton. Even now, he's held to it and brought it everywhere as some sort of charm.

"Only half?" Ruby asked, "Was it torn off or cut on purpose?"

Indeed, the scarf was neatly cut in half in the middle.

"It was a silly story." Jaune chuckled. But before he can say further, the other girl hurriedly joined them. For unknown reason she pulled the half-scarf from Jaune's hands. Much to his protest, "Hey!"

"You..." the silver haired girl muttered, "You still have it?"

"Of course I did- wait, what is the problem?" Jaune asked, somewhat concerned and somewhat bothered. "Can I have it back? It's really important to me."

The silver hair laughed a little as she pulled something out of her own pocket. An identical half-scarf, though it's less worn out, its color was as pale and as unsightly. The silver haired girl handed back the one Jaune owned. "You still remember about me?" The girl said bitter, "Because I didn't remember you."

"No I didn't, this is really awkward." Jaune scratched his head as he eyed the scarf in her hand.

"Well I don't know about your romantic reunion or whatever but I think we're having some guest to greet over there." Ruby winced and presented the rows upon rows of Atlesian Police, with Ironwood leading in the front. And they neither look pleased nor congratulating.

"...We're screwed huh." Jaune whined.

"Oops." Penny covered her mouth with her gloved hands.

* * *

 **つづく**


	4. Chapter 4

**Few more reviews whoo! I'm so happy.**

 **OBSERVER01: Yes, yes, we need more Ironwood fics, and Atlas fics in general. NO MORE BEACON!**

 **dragoon109: It's theoretically possible, but the mana...er, I mean aura drain would be too massive for hunters, let alone students.**

 **Nh1xxs: I know right? I'm going to focus on his development more as support character, than vanguard.**

 **Viridian: Whelp, nice to know. What do you think of third and this fourth chapter?**

* * *

Western Atlas Police HQ was relative empty, despite the hectic impression the four teenagers get when they're first brought here. It makes sense, indeed, as all the active duty officers have been deployed on the streets to ensure that no subsequent attack can happen. Thus, whoever left in the building were a combination of administrative staff and the higher echelon, too busy with the paperwork to care.

Jaune and silvery white haired girl both filled a Witness report, as it's been explained that they're the only people in the group that's legally considered adult. Penny and Ruby both looking at them intensely, and Ruby in particular can only feel envious.

Jaune put his pen down, "Well I'm finished."

"Isn't that too little?" The girl asked incredulously.

"I write what I see, we're not some experts who need to give detailed analysis of the crime scene." Jaune firmly answered, "I don't know much about law, something have to do with legal responsibilities and stuff."

"That's... right." The girl signed her own report, and Jaune caught a glimpse of her name.

Weiss Schnee.

"If it was anyone else I would let you go with a little slap on your wrist." Ironwood grimly said as he entered the office.

Jaune gulped and began to shiver again. Seriously, what the hell is wrong with this man? Ironwood look at the scared teenagers, and then, he eased up and smile. "Thankfully, it's me." He said as he drop a full plate of scones and several paper cup full of chocolate on the table.

"Not only the four of you acted fast and efficient, you also strive to protect the civilian in the pursuit, the police hesitated because they have no people capable to accomplish such dangerous task without risking public safety, and yet, here you are. You're all so young, and full of energy, yet all of you possess the necessary skill to protect this civilization from it's own wickedness." Ironwood said matter-of-factly, "I have some of my criticism on your... methods, but nothing that we can't deal with later. And the best part is, I'm familiar with most of you... except miss red hood here. Ruby Rose, isn't it?"

"Y-yes?" The youngest girl in the crowd replied.

Ironwood squeezed his eyes, "You... have silver eyes."

"It's uncommon but not exactly rare in our family, or so my mother said." Ruby said nonchalantly as she grab a scones and shove it in her mouth, "I know a few who does, my brother too. And one cousin... I think."

"And where did you learn how to fight? Was it your parents or-"

"Uh... Signal Academy?" Ruby put another scones in.

"There's not many people who know how to use a scythe, and one that stood out in particular." Ironwood's mood seemingly soured, "A dusty old crow."

Ruby's silver eyes widened in response, expressing tons of curiosity. "You know my father?"

"...that explains everything." Ironwood smiled subdued, "Yes, I know your father. While he can be a little... immature at times, he was a great man with skill to match his fearsome reputation."

"I see." Ruby chuckled childishly, "I want to be a huntress, just like my mother is. She's so cool, just like dad. Well not entirely the same but they're both really, really cool and I want to be just like them in my own way. Just two more years and I'll go to Beacon! Hwa-cha!" Ruby yelled as she made a chopping stance with her hands, this caused Jaune to suppress his laugh.

Ironwood know a huntsman personally? Must be someone amazing. Jaune thoughtfully listened, and looking at the rest, Penny and Weiss too, look pretty interested with Ruby's little tale. Plus, Ruby should be more than enough to…

Ironwood sat in front of the teens and rested his chin on his fingers, "If I ask you to enroll in Atlas right now instead of waiting two years until your graduation, would you accept that offer?"

Everyone's eyes couldn't be more stretched out in surprise, especially Weiss. But more than anyone else, Ruby. Then, her smile couldn't possibly grew wider. Jaune looks happy, Penny was confused, while Weiss looks absolutely shocked. "WHAT?"

"She's not attending Academy yet and that's final." The door open, revealing the figure of a woman in white hood. Her eyes were covered in shadow, but her muted red hair stood out the most. Behind her, she carried a massive old-styled rifle encased with elegant, lacquered finish. It's certainly as big as the one Ruby carried, if not bigger.

And then, silver eye shine bright on the right side of her face, and the air in the room become much more chill despite the internal heating system.

"...long time no see, Summer." Ironwood muttered.

"I've finished the paperwork, Ruby, we're going home." The woman smiled, and yet, despite her gentle and friendly expression, the rest of people in the room can only shiver in terror. No, it's not metaphorical either, as Penny double-checked the thermometer nearby to see that the room temperature indeed steadily go down.

"Don't be so chill." Ironwood stood, "And I mean, literally."

The woman closed her eyes and the temperature began to normalize itself again. That's when everyone noticed how her left eye was covered in eyepatch.

Was the woman caused the weather anomaly, now Penny wondered. She did notice the aura spike around her body, though. So between that and Ironwood's words, highly likely it's her special abilities. It was subtle enough that the three other people doesn't seems to be too concerned as they rub their skin to ease the cold.

"Mom?" Ruby asked, almost afraid even. "I can't go?"

"Not today no, you've promised remember?" The woman patted her head and kissed her hair. "Good job."

"Summer, let's talk first before you get into conclusion."

"With due respect, there's no talk required, General Ironwood." The woman called Summer said, coldly. "Ruby's still fifteen, and it's up to me to decide whether she's ready or not."

Ruby looked at her as if she was betrayed something fierce, she looked at her mom with teary eyes, but then, she decided to look down and didn't say anything. Summer did notice this, and then gently rub her daughter's cheek.

"Then how about this." Summer assured her, "You promised me not to go before you graduate right? Well, let's just compromise, you can go once you're sixteen and thus, an adult. You can get in through normal exam."

Ruby's eyes widened again, seemingly lose her moment of despair. "REALLY?!"

"Yes, now please wait outside the room." Summer nodded, "And no more violent detour."

"Kay!"

"The three of you can freely go home as well, and Penny, the ride is waiting outside." Ironwood sighed.

"Sir." Penny saluted stiffly. Jaune and Weiss looked at each other in confusion, while Penny seemingly unaffected by the interpersonal tension between the woman named Summer and General Ironwood. Regardless of that, they decided to walk out. Not before Ruby wiped the remaining plate of scones, of course.

"Don't eat while you're walking." Summer bopped her daughter's head, cause her to blush and run.

The next minute was a quiet standoff between Summer and the general. He was not afraid, no, but there's something about him that show nothing but a moment of weakness.

"You know more than anyone else, she need to go." Ironwood sit down.

"Really? She didn't get that good not just out of talent, you know. It took years grueling hard work for her to achieve this level." Summer snorted, "No, she's not ready."

"You let her freely run around fighting crime, and you think she's not ready for next step of education?" He asked incredulously.

"I'm always watching, general." Summer said threateningly, "No matter where we are, I'm always watching."

"And you will always be there for her?"

"She had her friends with her."

"Combat school friends? Your daughter is so far beyond them it's not even funny. Even for the standard of academy student, she would be up there with the best." Ironwood raised his voice, "Being the odd one out, you think she's happy-"

"And that's why I'll be there until I'm no longer needed. One year, just one year and she will leave me to walk in her own path."

"You're holding her back, Summer."

"I did not, James." Summer said, "If I do, I would stop her from trying to become a huntress. But I didn't, I keep perpetuating that family curse like a fool I am."

"Qrow would-"

Summer unslung her rifle, her right hand firmly on the cocking bolt. A bayonet extend from underneath the barrel, as if she's ready to fight. Her right eye glared at him full of murderous intent.

"You took him from me, and now you have the gal trying to take his daughter away too? Over my dead body, General James Ironwood."

However, before Summer can point the huge rifle toward Ironwood, a slender yet firmly muscular arm blocked her swing. The figure of a much taller woman clad in black bodysuit stood in front of Summer, and she teasingly smiled at her.

"Think of the children, Mrs. Rose." The woman winked, "What kind of law-abiding mother would attack an authority figure inside a police station?"

"Who are you?" Summer winced as she realized that the bespectacled woman has advantage being this close. Still, her words brought Summer back from her fit of rage. Summer juggled her rifle and it folded mechanically into a more compact wooden and metal briefcase

The tall woman shrugged and combed back her long, silky black hair with her fingers. Summer can't help but twitch at the sheer absurdity of the whole situation so much that she completely forget her anger toward the Atlas Military General. The mysterious woman smiled at Ironwood, "By the way, I have just the right idea, would you listen, Headmaster?"

* * *

 **[SHINE IN MEDIOCRITY]**

 **The Story of Atlas Hunter Academy**

 **By**

 **ZeroXSEED**

* * *

 **Chapter 04 - Bittersweet Reunion  
**

* * *

"She's gone?" Weiss peeked from behind a dumpster. The teenagers decided to wait just outside the Police HQ instead of inside the warm corridor teeming with Police administrative staffs.

"Yes. Why are you hiding?" Penny inquire.

"I don't want to meet her right now." Weiss said as she tightened her coat's button.

"I guess scary mom really is everywhere." Jaune hummed.

"I don't have a mother. That I know." Penny said without even a hint of emotion, as if she's questioning herself about it, Jaune was taken aback and muttered in sympathy. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry. My father, is really kind to me." Penny said, and the spider drone on her shoulder whined as if it shouted it's approval. Jaune almost forget that her father always with her. In a way, that is. "Can I have your number, Ruby, Weiss?"

Jaune raised his scroll, "After all, we're all friends right?"

"...Am I, your friend, Ruby?" Penny widened her eyes in anticipation.

"Ummm... yes, why not?" Ruby hesitated for a moment, but she saw no reason to reject it. She raised her scroll too.

Weiss leered aside in annoyance, and raised her own. "No. It doesn't mean we're friend or anything. But maybe you can call me... acquaintances, that is."

Jaune and Ruby chuckled at Weiss' unusual response but decided not to comment. The four scroll bleeped as they shared their contact number with wireless transfer. The street was rather empty thanks to the strict monitoring by the police outside. And so, Penny immediately recognized the armored car that supposed to carry her home.

"My ride is here, see you again at school." Penny awkwardly wave her hand, still covered with Jaune's cotton gloves. "I'll give the gloves back later, Jaune."

"Don't worry, you can keep it, or you can dump it. It's yours now." Jaune said to her cheerfully as Penny stepped inside the car. "Thank you." Penny said before the door slid close. The armored car left shortly with quiet, artificial hum of all electric engine.

"I guess I'll get back inside." Ruby awkwardly nudged her fingers, "God knows my mom will be angry if I roam around again."

"To bad about your mother huh. Would be nice if you can get into Atlas with us." Jaune gazed on the building. "Well, she's still too young, no matter how skilled she is." Weiss said in defense of the concerned mother.

"Maybe I'll call you senior when we meet again." Ruby joked as she run inside as she waved her hand.

Weiss proceed to climb and rode her mechanical horse again, but as she picked the rein, her eyes locked on a somewhat confused Jaune. Jaune raised his eyebrows quietly, completely weirded by her strange, deep gaze on him.

"You coming?" She asked suddenly, much to his delight. "Sure." Jaune jumped on his bike and followed.

With the way the horse walk, Jaune can't use his main engine, instead, he use the backup electric motor and let his bike roll smoothly on the snowy road at minimum power. Yes, even though it's technically spring season for the whole country, it's always snowing in northern Atlas. The sight of the massive metropolitan buildings clad in blanket of snow made Jaune felt at ease, somehow.

"You like snow?" Weiss asked without looking at him.

"Yeah, there's no snow in Vacuo." Jaune said, his left hand gathered the falling snowflakes. "First time I saw a real one."

"I hate it, it's always snowing around here." Weiss chided, "It has been like this as long as I can remember. The city always look so lifeless and empty."

"Really? I think it's beautiful. The gentle white color shine brilliantly under the dim lights." Jaune said aloud in dramatic exaggeration, "Just like your hair."

Weiss glared angrily at him for a moment, but then chortled lightly as she failed to held back her amusement. "What's next, you're going to call me snow angel?"

Jaune's expression turned a little less goofy and more calm and content, as they passed through an apartment complex Jaune uttered: "Though it's cold outside, inside it's much warmer, right?"

Weiss raised her eyebrow a little, and then quietly retorted: "It's also cold and empty inside."

Jaune glanced at her, but, all he could see is sadness. Weiss had her coat on, but her slender, gloved fingers tightly cling to her shoulder.

"I'm tired of all this snow." Weiss whispered, "I want to leave, but I can't."

Her failure had prevented her from removing the shackles her family put on her. A caged slave to her name, that defines Weiss Schnee, the heiress to Schnee Dust Company. She had her chance to get out, but she failed. Just remembering that day, it pained her inside out.

She rubbed the scarred half of her face, it's mark of that failure. And doesn't matter how much people convinced her, Weiss refuse to remove it.

"You could always visit Vytal again." Jaune said in the most painfully ignorant manner possible, "For a change of pace."

"You really don't understand anything do you?" She raised her voice in annoyance and paced her horse faster, forced Jaune to turn the diesel engine on to catch up.

"... Sorry." Was all that he could muster in response.

"Don't 'sorry' me. I don't need your pity." Weiss scowled.

"It's not a pity." Jaune raised his voice, "I just... you know, I didn't really plan to come here. You're right, it's cold and lifeless outside, I miss the searing hot and crowded cities of Vacuo. I miss my nagging family and rowdy friends over there. I really do, maybe I should reapply in Shade Academy as well. But... I'm here, aren't I? What I'm saying, you don't really knows something of value until you lose it."

She blinked for a moment at his ridiculous rant, and then sighed in defeat.

He really is that clueless, to the point of infuriating. And yet, part of her glad he is. She didn't know why she felt that way.

Perhaps Jaune was right, in a sense, that despite her hatred for her family name, Weiss still loved some of it's members in Atlas. Well, two of them at least. She would trade the world for them, even though they can be hard to deal with sometimes.

Weiss loved her mother and sister, that for sure.

"Well it doesn't matter now." Weiss smiled as she roll the half-scarf around her neck, "Just four more years in this accursed frozen continent."

Jaune grinned and rolled his own half around his neck.

"[In other words, one hour ago White Fang bombed District B Police station and left a trail of destruction alongside Highway 32. However, the heroic actions of four young people, whose identity remains classified, managed to stop their rampage. No less than twenty White Fang extremist members were captured, and no deaths were reported yet, however, we got an inside source that said at least three police officers were sent to emergency ward. We shall pray together for their survival.]"

So said by the TV Reporter, the six meter wide screen displayed the news in real time. Jaune and Weiss watched for a moment as they came out of parts store. Jaune wondered where Weiss going to bring him before, now he knows.

It was Central Atlas Weapon Plaza, the place where people all over Atlas came to browse and buy exceptionally rare or imported weapon parts. The place looks like a normal Department Store from outside, but inside, it was lined by nothing but combat equipment.

"...how awful." Jaune gritted his teeth, and then he noticed Weiss carrying what looks like wooden boxes full of parts. "Let me help."

"You don't have to." Weiss refused to let go her item, "I always let my butler did everything, I need to learn and stop relying on them."

"But I'm not your butler though?" Jaune shrugged, "What are friends for?"

"... point." She handed him one of the boxes, and he could felt the weight immediately as he carried it to the back of the horse and have Weiss fastened it to the saddle. "That said this Arms Market is really amazing." Jaune said as he looked around, "Reminds me of Biannual Vacuo arms fair."

"This plaza is pretty accessible from all sides of the country and it's open every day." Weiss said, smiling. "It's basically department store for weapons. They even sell surplus military weapon."

"I wonder if they have ammo for heavy weapons." Jaune muttered aloud.

"Should be there in the ordnance store." Weiss winked, "Let's go."

Jaune doesn't know why but, even though they didn't exactly remember each other well, he felt at ease. The illusion of closeness had blinded his sense of caution, indeed, and he followed her like a lovestruck puppy.

In the crowd, the sight of the beautiful, silvery white haired girl stood out despite her relative modest height. Jaune could tell that eyes of admiration and envy were locked strongly on him and Weiss.

That, was the reason why he didn't walk with her side by side. Looks like his sisters' advices paid off. In fact, he act more like her escort than anything else. Which is why she looks pretty casual with it.

"Here we go, Ordnance store."

"Whoa."

Jaune could tell why the shop is called Ordnance store, and indeed, from the samples alone he could see myriads of the biggest, baddest heavy weapon ammunition he ever seen, reminded him of the Militia Armory really.

"That's awesome."

"Welcome to the store, boya, anything you want?" A tall muscular man with barrel chest and menacing, shaggy beard asked as he loomed upon Jaune.

"Ah, do you happen to have 20x110 Hispano?" Jaune asked awkwardly, still feel intimidated.

"Hispano? Never heard anything like that." The man rubbed his beard thoughtfully, "And I've been in this plaza for over twenty years."

"You won't find any." A young girl with dark skin joined, "Hispano cartridge hasn't been produced in Atlas for thirty years, and the gun firing it would be at least fifty years old. You can find it in collectible store, but the cost will be really expensive per unit."

"Eeh? But it's everywhere in Vacuo." Jaune whined, then looked at Weiss. "Looks like I either have to order by mail, or just take-off to Vacuo to resupply."

"Wouldn't that be more expensive than just buying a new gun?" Weiss tilted her head.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. Heavy weapons are mindbogglingly expensive." Jaune pulled his weapon out of the back, it's darkened rusting parts become visible to everyone nearby. "I just recycled the junk in the armory to make this anyway."

The dark skinned girl stretched out her hands, and politely asked. "May I borrow it?"

"Sure?"

The girl put it on the table and scanned it intently. "The steel hasn't been produced in Remnant since... from the Great War?"

"Whoa really?!" Weiss and the shopkeeper balked simultaneously.

"That might actually true." Jaune nodded, "The barrel was the only useful parts when I dismantled the cannon. So I reforged it into a recoiless rifle."

"That's actually pretty useful. Our military can learn from that." The girl said as she handed back the rifle to Jaune, "However, point still stand that you will never find it's ammo in Atlas. Probably not even in the academies. Hispano autocannon was deemed to old and powerless for modern Atlas requirement, and has been phased out in the military decades ago."

Weiss squeezed her eyes suspiciously, "You sure know a lot about guns, are you some kind of enthusiast?" Then Weiss eyed the rifle on the girl's back. "I forgot the model but aren't those used to be Military standard?"

"Maybe she just want to save money." Jaune muttered, "Surplus weapons are kind of cheap, maybe I should buy some."

For some reason the girl felt annoyed with their willingness to guess her reasoning, not that she show it much. Instead, she decided to ignore their talk. "HG-44 .300 Blackout Rifle are high tolerance weapon designed to work in all kinds of weather, as technology progress it has been phased out in favor of HKSE Plasma Rifle. But many still in service within the Military Academy, and it's ammunition also widely available in civilian market." The girl said, "I just prefer something I'm familiar with and easy to maintain."

Weiss and Jaune looked at each other in confusion.

"Well, thanks for the help anyway. I'm Jaune Arc, nice to meet you." Jaune offered his hand nonchalantly, much to Weiss ire. The girl looked at Jaune suspiciously, before politely answered the handshake. "Ciel Soleil... and over there, Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, Weiss Schnee. Right?"

"Weiss Schnee?!"

And then everyone's eyes locked on their direction. Explosion of whispers began to echo within the section. "Ah drat." Weiss quickly grabbed Jaune's arm and pulled him as hard as she could, they left the scene before someone got the bright idea to ask her anything.

It would be an awful shame for the SDC heiress to be seen in what essentially guns flea market. With a young man, to boot.

"Wait, what just happen-"

"Just run okay?!" Weiss asked, no, begged even.

Jaune decided to stay quiet as they ran back to the parking lot.

"Sorry about that, really." Weiss huffed as she wipe the sweat off her brow with her handkerchief. "I'm not actually THAT famous personally, but once people heard my name they become crazy as if they're possessed."

Jaune waved his hand, "Don't worry about it. I don't really understand, but well, that must be rough."

"This family is like a curse." Weiss spat, "She must have recognized my hair."

"Hair ehh?" Jaune grinned deviously, and then he disappeared out of thin air.

"...Jaune? Hey?" Weiss widened her eyes, "Jaune? Don't joke around."

"I'm back." Jaune came from behind her, much to her shock. He then gave her a white fur hat, specifically, an Ushanka. "Here, it would suit your coat well, and stark white would distract people from your silver hair."

She looked at him in disbelief, and then walked closer so she could use his bike's handlebar mirror to look at herself as she loosened her ponytail a little and wore the white fur hat on top.

...it does fit her well, and certainly made a great disguise. Then looked bat at Jaune with curiosity,

"How much was it?"

"Don't worry about it." Jaune ignored her, "It's just fake fur."

"How. Much." Weiss repeated in colder tone, did he thought she couldn't pay or something?

"It's a gift." Jaune still ignored her as he put a bluish grey hat on top of his head, "Now we're matched."

Weiss' bitter pout turned into amused smile, especially when she remembered what happened with Penny an hour ago. So she decided to let her resentment go and reap all the laugh she could get, "Did you always give random gifts to random girls you've just met? What a player."

"If they're my friend, why not?" Jaune asked in disturbingly innocent manner, "But only if they need it."

Only if they need it huh. Weiss closed her eyes and feel the texture of the hat. The mediocre quality of synthetic fur felt so cheap as they brushed her fingers, and yet, all she could care about was comfortable warmness it provided.

After all, monetary value isn't everything, right?

* * *

 **つづく**


	5. Chapter 5

**Another instance of SiM, this chapter might be a bit slow and surprising, but indeed, I'm shoving it to make sure you readers have a frame of reference.**

 **AndreiN00B - Hahaha, indeed. One has to remember most of the fic is written from Jaune's perspective, who have the confidence of a wet tissue paper. Ironwood certainly think he's good in his own way, which is why he get in the academies without even need to cheat. Gaining more self-worth is major part of his character development in this story.**

 **OBSERVER01 - It doesn't stop there, trust me.**

 **TheNiemand - Glad people still enthusiastic despite all the story flaws.**

* * *

Jaune woke up only for him to realize he's lying somewhere unfamiliar, and an alarm beeped right beside his head.

It's six o'clock in the morning.

...okay, NOT entirely unfamiliar. He's been here before, several times since he went to Atlas. After all, what is Jaune Arc but a burden to everyone around him. He damn know it well, but perhaps it can't be helped. The dark white ceiling adorned with a simple LED bulb of several Watts. The placement of the window means the sunlight never directly came through even though it's already morning, only the background light made insufficient effort to illuminate the curtains.

"...what the hell are you doing Jaune?" He asked himself rhetorically.

Rubbed his head as he sit down he realized he wasn't alone, he looked aside to find a half-naked girl sleeping soundly.

 _So much for a new life and fresh start. In the end, you couldn't even keep your principles and would gladly throw it away in favor of sinful escapades._

Soft murmur came by from luscious lips of the dark brown haired, pale skinned young woman beside him. Scent of sweat and hormone can be too tempting at times.

But he had no time to dwell on it.

"I'd just get a shower first-"

"Where are you going~?"

Seductive purr echoed within the vicinity of his ears as two small, firm hands made it's way underneath his shirt, caused him to shiver. "Umm, Garnet I have to go."

She blinked, rubbed her eyes then blinked again, her silver eyes wide open. "Oh right you're going to Atlas starting today."

"Yeah, and you have to go for work." He pointed awkwardly, "Hands off, please?"

"Bah." She pouted and slowly rose up from her bed and turn on the lights. Though she was relative short for a woman, she definitely IS a woman alright. Glistening skin clad her exposed shoulder, and semi-translucent shirt covered her well-toned body. Jaune's face bent red when he saw a set of impressive chest barely covered, the shirt really didn't hide much at all. If anything, what it did was to enhance the appeal.

And that's bad.

 _Not now, little bro._

"I'll get a quick shower first, then I'll fetch you a breakfast." Jaune grinned as he walked aside, like a scared crab. "I'll be quick."

The woman can't help but laughed in response. No matter how many times they did it, Jaune never seems to mature at all.

Jaune decide that, while he HATE cold shower, he need it. His heart still race as he remembered what happened few days ago. Far too many things happened in such short timeframe. Him getting accepted in Atlas, meeting new friends, stop terrorist attack and then...

Reunited with Weiss Schnee.

He didn't really know whether it's valid to consider his and her relationship as childhood friends, since he only meet her ever once, and doesn't even remember her face nor her name. That was impressionable meeting, indeed, but still... maybe he could use her own words.

 _Childhood acquaintances._

"Sounds right." He decided.

As soon as he's out of bathroom, the air became impressively colder. The brunette slid open her balcony door slightly to let fresh air inside, before shortly close it.

"What do you want? I'll cook you something quick." Jaune offered.

"Thirty minutes." The woman answered, "Whatever you could make in thirty minutes. Oh, and make sure you made a serving for six people."

Jaune picked up an Apron and wore it on top of his black hoodie shirt and his combat trouser, checked what's left in the fridge, he decided to pick out the marinated chicken he put in yesterday, this should do for what he could make.

Jaune never consider himself a great cook, a very good cook for sure, but half his sisters are far better cook than him. But the best of all, his mother. She could transform peasant dishes full of leftover ingredients into something absolutely, mindbogglingly delicious.

Scent of burnt tomato cream and garlic filled the kitchen as he finished his dishes in exact time, though the ventilation provides a solution for that. He brought it along with pickles and few other side dishes.

 _But why six people thought?_ He wondered. Maybe she want to store it for dinner?

When his current roommate came out of bathroom she quickly picked herself a set of gray pants, leaving her top covered in nothing but a black camisole.

 _...she's really beautiful._

Jaune admit that all things considered, her ex wasn't even remotely close to the most beautiful girl he met in his life. But she's certainly is attractive in her own way, a more tomboyish, laid back way that is.

"Is garlic chicken fillet okay with you?" He asked.

"Anything from you is better than the garbage in office cafeteria." She said frankly in response.

"You're cruel as always." He chortled as he put his apron aside and sat down.

"They should be here soon." Garnet said as she looked at the holographic clock on the wall.

"They?"

The bell rings twice, Garnet perked up and reached for the door.

"...is it really okay for me to be here?" Jaune raised his eyebrows. Not that he's embarrassed... okay, he's REALLY embarrassed. But more than that, he don't want to interfere with her personal business, whatever it is.

"Oh, it's just some family members coming for a short visit. Don't worry about it." She waved her hand dismissively as she slid the key card on the electronic lock. "They all just look like me though."

"Riiight." Jaune rolled his eyes in disbelief, "At least I don't have to see your parents, again."

"Oh c'mon my father would love for you to give a visit again." She wryly smiled.

"Bullshit." Jaune said cold.

The door slid open and show the presence of two people covered in cloak. One white, one red. Jaune rubbed his eyes to make sure he got it right. Because holy shit it felt like de javu hit him something fierce.

"...Ruby?!" Jaune squeaked.

Ruby's sets of silver eyes couldn't possibly be stretched wider than now. Her mouth agape as she tried to process the info for a moment... _why is that guy here?_

"Jaune?"

"Such a small world, eh?" Summer smiled curtly, and the air turned several degrees colder as she did.

"Tehe-he-he. Just old friends from Vacuo staying for a few days. C'mon, let's celebrate Ruby and Jaune's entry to Atlas together." Garnet pushed Summer and Ruby inside without care. Indeed, she's a working adult and there's no shame sharing an apartment with attractive young man, whatever their relationship is.

 _Wait a minute._

"...uh Garnet, could the R in your middle name means..." Jaune guessed, a little bit late perhaps.

"Garnet Rose, yes." The young brunette chuckled. "Why do you just ask now?"

"...Now I feel so stupid." Jaune whined and dropped his head on the table, how could he NOT see the striking resemblance between Summer, Ruby, and his old friend? He blamed yesterday's hectic situation, but... well, it's still dumb. Garnet and Ruby practically looks identical, hell, Garnet looks closer to Ruby than Ruby's own mother is.

They're almost like sisters.

"You can't remember people for crap." The woman smacked his shoulder casually, and then she pulled out a party popper. The cardboard cone blew up softly, spreading colored foils everywhere, "Congratulations for entering Atlas, both of you."

"Uh, okay." Ruby said awkwardly, still couldn't process what's going on. "I don't know you're er... living together."

"Oh no, he's just staying here until his dorm arrangement get sorted." Garnet said almost far too nonchalantly, it hurt Jaune something fierce. In fact, the 'now' part made him pained the most, not that he show it well. "Putting all the nighttime shenanigans aside..."

Jaune choked on his food and quickly hide his blushing face with his hands.

"I didn't need to hear this." Summer sighed, "Don't follow her example Ruby."

"I won't." Ruby said aloud, showing her disgust, "I won't."

"Need ice for that burn?" Jaune asked teasingly as Garnet just twitched in response of the implied insult from the relatives.

"But then you'll get Ice burn." Summer grinned and pointed two of her index fingers mischievously.

Ruby whined, "That was terrible one."

Breakfast was indeed more eventful than they expected, especially when they come to talk about what transpired back then in their first meeting. From when Jaune and Ruby meet, all the way to how they end up at Police Station. Indeed, Garnet is most interested with the story, since Jaune didn't tell her much aside from the fact that he was involved in the crime scene.

The fact that he participated in the pursuit was never included.

At all.

"You should have told me that you dunce." Garnet pouted, "What else did you hide from me?"

"I just don't want to make you worried okay?" Jaune responded in desperation as he wore his leather combat vest, "You know me, I'm cursed with bad luck no matter where I go."

"Valid point." Garnet said as she wore light gray jacket and then strapped a thick black vest on top of that. The words S.D.C emblazoned on her left side of the chest, and twelve-pointed glowing blue snowflake emblem on her back.

"Schnee Dust Company huh." Summer thoughtfully muttered.

"Yeah, working in the security department is pretty easy if you can kick sufficient amount of assess." Garnet excitedly said as she fastened her black boots. "The pay is good too."

"But isn't that a little risky? SDC Security Force works in the place where there's not much in the way of natural defense. Did your parents know?" Summer asked, concerned.

"Yeah, My mom are against it but, well, I've been in militia already so why not? Might as well put my combat experience to use."

"Well, putting them aside..." Jaune turned his attention to Ruby as they left the apartment room and walked side by side. "Your mother changed her mind huh."

"Yeah, I don't know what happened but seems like someone talked her out of it." Ruby giddily smiled, "And now I'm officially a huntress-in-training! We might even be classmates!"

"You still have to survive Initiation first." Summer said strongly, "While I have confidence with your combat technique as your mother and as your mentor, I'm still worried because you tend to rush ahead without thinking. Initiation is not a test of personal skill alone, but your ability to work with your fellow students. Keep that in mind, and don't get blindsided. You might die."

"I promise I won't. Trust me, Mom." Ruby begged and clasped her hands as she run around the red-haired woman, "Please?"

"Well, let's see about that later." Summer defiantly ignored her plea.

 _I might die huh._ Jaune closed his eyes for a second.

Jaune watched as Ruby waved her hands shortly before jumped into the taxi Summer just chartered. The much younger girl looks really excited, indeed, unlike him, she doesn't seems to have specific end goal or ambition. For Ruby Rose, becoming a huntress is a means to an end. To save people and fight crime.

It's hard to call her innocent, but Jaune well understood that, Ruby Rose is an idealist girl who saw this world in much brighter light than he did.

"She's really childish huh." Garnet softened her eyes, "And yet, she would floor both of us in a fight."

"Yeah, hard to admit but I'm really envious." Jaune crossed clenched his fists, "It's kind of strange. I've met so many students, each of them are different, yet they all of them were vastly more powerful than I am."

"Well, what else do you think? People spent years to prepare, you? Less than a year, and now... the gap between us grew so big. Perhaps leaving you wasn't a mistake after all. I'm always been the one holding you back..." Garnet leaned on the apartment pillar and looked aside, to the roads where the traffic began to catch up as the sun rose higher and higher. Not even the perpetual snow in the city of Atlas can stop them.

Jaune let his gaze on her with saddened eyes, but he swallowed his mental tears inside and strapped his bags on the backseat of his bike. Starting today, he will be students of Atlas. He'll meet new people, a lot more new people than he did yesterday.

"That's a lie and you know it, Garnet." He said in refusal of her statement, "I wouldn't be here without you."

There will be more chances to mend such pesky little problem as broken heart, right?

 _Right?_

Jaune kicked the pedal and his bike roared lowly. It's suppressed diesel engine rattled rather quietly thanks to the huge, modified muffler to his side.

"It's rather cold and lonely here." Garnet winked, faint blush tread across her cheek. "Come to visit me again sometime."

"I will." Jaune lied and feigned his trademarked idiot smile. There's no way they split again with bitter note. "Unless you got a boyfriend by then."

"Come anyway, and bring your girlfriend here." Garnet yelled aloud, uncaring of the pedestrian who reacted to her voice. "You can cook for four of us."

That was what it means to be friends... right?

* * *

 **[SHINE IN MEDIOCRITY]**

 **The Story of Atlas Hunter Academy**

 **By**

 **ZeroXSEED**

* * *

 **Chapter 05 - Fresh Start  
**

* * *

Marble white walls formed the bulk of the mansion, reflected the bright lights that came from the windows and the artificial lightning in the interior space. Three shades of blue spread across the floor in form of seamless tiles and carpet stretched as far as eye can see. With golden-plated ornaments occasionally breaking the pattern in the most symmetrical and artificial method possible.

Only Schnee household can make such scenic brilliance look depressing, because the huge mansion is mostly devoid of life. Occasionally, there would be pearly white cleaning robots or automated machines roaming around to keep things tidy, but otherwise, the whole mansion is quiet and empty. Such silence that footsteps of people would've heard from the other side of the corridor.

Such is the monochrome prison that held young Weiss in her seventeen years of her life. It might just be half a joke to say that Weiss don't know color other that white, blue, gold and silver exist.

And now, even though she's not entirely satisfied with her destination, she's going to leave this wretched prison.

That alone is more than enough to keep her mind focused. Focused away from her failure.

Failure that costed her four years of freedom, away from this frozen wasteland of a continent.

No more.

Her winter coat buttoned up, and though her old scarf are missing, a white fur hat perched on top of her head, blending with the color of her coat and the rest of the wall, yet obscuring the sight of her signature silvery white hair, which tied a little loose on the length of her neck.

Despite the huge Schnee symbol on her back and silver emblem on her hat, she's practically impossible to recognize with a glance.

 _Who knows a simple hat and hair adjustment could change someone so much_. She smiled inwardly. She will make sure to thanks Jaune later.

"Good morning, sister." A nasal male voice greeted, "Your new school year starts today?"

Hesitantly, she tried not to scowl in response, instead, she deliver a weak smile.

"Good morning, Whitley." She said, "Are you going to combat school as usual?"

She's well aware that he really, really hate going there. Indeed, the silver-haired young man in navy blue vest looks like he frowned for a fraction of second, but then he regained his composure quicker than she did.

"Yes, Alsius spare nothing for the betterment of it's student, isn't it?" He nodded.

Weiss had been there done that, and yes, as much as she hated the school for being a chain that bind her to this continent in the past four years, she was thankful that it still considered something of a profound experience. No instructor can match the teaching quality of a properly managed combat school, especially one as elite as Alsius. A properly cultivated competitive environment can do wonders to a student's development.

The Combat School, though entirely different level of education than Atlas Academy, share the same area complex. Despite that, meeting between students is unlikely unless done deliberately, due to the vast size of the area involved.

As such, Weiss is unlikely to meet him often either.

Though part of her more rational and caring mind felt guilty, the darker part of her was glad about it.

Whitley Schnee, her brother, always been the goody-two-shoes dearest son of a tyrannical father, the father she resented. The resentment does extend to the brother, indeed, though to much smaller extent.

Speaking of the devil.

"Good morning, father." Whitley bowed gracefully.

Weiss, being the rebellious daughter she is, just bowed quietly without saying anything.

"Did you forget your manners overnight?" The tall man in white suit asked rather unfriendly, his

Weiss clicked her tongue soundlessly, so the one said without even bother replying to his favorite child. Jacquess Schnee has zero sense of irony and is a gigantic hypocrite.

"Good morning, father." Weiss smiled brightly in the most peppy way possible, which completely out of character for her.

But anything to annoy her father, she will do it.

And seeing how his thick mustache and eyebrows twitched simultaneously, it seems to be working.

"...you defeated the Automaton Knight." He decided to switch the topic of conversation, "Even though it has been upgraded."

Jacques still remembered it, the stolen possessed Knight that he used to test her daughter had been there, confiscated by the police force as part of equipment used by White Fang. When Jacques personally went there out of concern for his company's image, it was crystal clear that the damage inflicted is consistent with what his daughter can dish out.

And it concerned him, Jacques Schnee, just like most members of the family, dislike surprises. Surprises mean out of context problem, and he dislike problem.

"Not on my own, no." Weiss walked past him, "With the help of an acquaintance."

"An acquaintance, how quaint." He snorted, "The same acquaintance who dared to defile the Schnee name by giving such a garbage that you proudly wear?"

Weiss froze for a moment, and as much as she want to lash out, she couldn't.

Her father had her by the leash.

Again.

Whether he actually knew what happened, or just fishing for reaction, she didn't really know.

Its frightening, to be honest, on how perceptive he could be whenever it would benefit him.

"So many girls would KILL to get the same privilege as you did, all the most outlandishly expensive brand in Remnant you can acquire, and you would wear such imitation with a smile. Have you lost your mind, Weiss Schnee?"

"It is a gift." Weiss said in hoarse voice, "It's most polite to treat them with utmost respect, isn't it?"

"Yes, but not brandishing them for all the worlds to see and laugh at." Jacques snorted and walked away, "After all, I never said anything about that wool rag you call a scarf, just keep it in a box or something will you?"

Weiss bit her lips angrily. Her father couldn't be possibly more rude without throwing expletives, and yet... and yet everything he said is right.

Everything Weiss did, everything Weiss said and wore, everything about Weiss reflect the name of Schnee.

She hated this family and yet... she can't help but brandish it with pride, that's why she replaced the emblem on the hat.

It's a prison she inflict upon herself.

Is true freedom even exist? Probably not, not as long as she carry her family name in stride.

She clenched the hat, part of her want to yank it and throw it away.

But then, a slim, almost feminine hands gripped her wrist.

She looked aside to see mischievous face of her brother.

"It suits you well." He earnestly said, "Please keep wearing it."

Weiss' eyes widened in response, such small, yet firm display of kindness..

Perhaps they really are brother and sister after all.

"Thank you, Whitley."

"Would you like to ride the limo with me?" He asked.

"It's alright. I'll just bring Kirin with me." Weiss refused almost instantly, besides, she really need to being her robot horse for school purpose. Weiss can just see how sadness began to crept into his smiling face, however.

"...or maybe you want to ride it with me?" Weiss said mischievously, "Just for today."

He looked around to make sure no one listened, "Can I?" he asked with a whisper.

"Well, if father got angry it's not my problem." Weiss shrugged, pretend not to care.

Whitley raised his finger and said, "Let me get my coat." And then shortly disappear from her sight leaving an air of unrestrained excitement. Weiss could only sigh in response, after all, Whitley still fifteen, and thus, as mature as he tried to be, still pretty much a child in her eyes.

And no matter how resentful Weiss can be, she can't bear to hate him.

Dear little brother.

...

Cold air rushed through the Schnee brother and sister as they rode on top of the mechanical horse, the pearly white robot stood out even in the snow thanks to it's reflective coat. At speed that would make most motorbike blush, the machine galloped through the snowy road without care.

However, roaring knock of a certain diesel bike soon followed.

"You're here." Weiss greeted excitedly.

"Morning." Jaune raised his own blue hat, "Also I think he fainted."

"He's my-wait, fainted?" Weiss's smile turned upside down, only to realize that her brother had been clinging to her while unconscious, "Oh for God's sake, Whitley, are you even a man?"

"Did you upgrade Kirin's legs or something?" Whitley woke up and asked, "I don't remember it being THIS fast!"

"...seriously?" Jaune gleefully laughed, "Funny guy."

"Yes I just upgraded it recently, but really, just how wimpy can you be?" Weiss yelled in disbelief and then pulled the reins a little, "Slow down!"

The horse skid a little before shortly accelerating again into much more stable trotting.

"Well it's not normal to have a horse moving at over a hundred klicks per hour." Jaune grinned as he slowed down his bike as well.

Weiss chuckled shortly before she noticed the giant bags tied all over his bike, and even one on his back. Just what exactly Jaune brought with him? Can't he just deliver it via cargo service like she did with her own luggage?

"So, did you find your replacement ammo? I'm sorry I can't help much." Weiss asked.

"You'll see later." Jaune winked, "But yes, I managed to get replacement parts from Ordnance Market, thanks to you."

Oh well, Weiss doesn't like surprises... but... maybe she'll give him a chance.

"So, while we're at it, the name is Jaune Arc. Sweet, short, tolls on the tongu-" Jaune introduced himself proudly, only for his rambling to be cut off by a huge road bump that destabilized his bike and threw him away. "EEEE!"

"Don't follow his example, Whitley." Weiss mocked a frown before bursting into laugh. "He always been like that with everyone."

"Even so, you seems happy with it." Whitley said, "I thought you'd dislike that kind of guy?"

"It's not like I'm attracted to him or anything." Weiss denied hastily, though she failed to hide her amusement. "Actually don't even joke about it."

"That response only made me even more curious." The little brother whistled teasingly.

"Who left a fallen timber on the road like that?!" Jaune complained as he caught up with the ride of Schnee siblings again, "So. where are we again?"

"Whitley Schnee." Weiss answered firmly, "My little brother, he's a third year student in Alsius."

"Hello again." The brother in question raised his hand.

"I see, well, it's nice to know you, Whitley." Jaune raised his thumb, "Anyway we're here."

Both the mechanical horse and diesel bike stopped abruptly as they passed through the gate area of the education complex. Tower half a klick high become the center of everything, that is, the most important piece of global communication in Remnant, CCT Tower, become the centerpiece of the school area.

The CCT Tower is surrounded by buildings in the shape of simple yet menacing blocks around it. Indeed, in the effort to improve comfort and serviceability, Atlas Academy was built in the style of military fortress, which made it somewhat more compact in appearance compared to three other academies. But outside appearance can be tricky, as within the fortress-like buildings, vast array of rooms are arranged to achieve maximum volume efficiency.

Jaune had been there, so he would know.

"It's really cold here." Whitley said as he jumped off the horse's back, "Thanks for the ride, dear sister."

Weiss nodded, "Be careful, don't catch a cold."

"Oh, what a rare sight of Schnee siblings being so intimate." A tall woman clad in black bodysuit approached them as she took pictures with her scroll, her glasses gleamed ominously. "A bit nostalgic because big sister going to stay at dorm?"

Jaune noticed how the siblings looks suddenly uncomfortable with her appearance. Indeed, Jaune somewhat know about this already. Weiss Schnee isn't that close with her own mother. he didn't expect the brother shared the same feeling thought.

Jaune wanted to ask but... maybe later. It's not really his business to interfere with her family matters.

"Good morning, mother Cereza." Whitley greeted politely, "You look beautiful as always."

"Thank you for the compliment." The woman smiled, "And Weiss, ready for your trial by fire?"

"Yes, mother." Weiss said hesitantly, but not because what she said, but rather, because it's her. "I'm ready."

"Saying you are is good and all but don't repeat your mistakes again." The woman raised her voluptuous chest as she pointed backward with her thumb, "Go to assembly hall, Ironwood will brief you of the details. Oh, and don't fool around with your boyfriend, your father wouldn't like it."

"Me? You must be mistaken." Jaune nonchalantly said, while the Schnee heiress just slapped her own face and yelled, "He's not my boyfriend, not even remotely close!"

"Oh my, I must be wrong then. Well, either way, see you latter in the classes." The woman sway her hips exaggeratedly as she turn her back against her children, her long black hair tied into high ponytail and yet they still reached way below her waist.

Jaune noticed four small pistol-like objects holstered around her waist.

"Oh, so you're into older woman, Jaune?" Weiss chided.

"That came out wrong." Jaune said in defense, "I'm just curious with her weapons."

"Her weapons? Really?" Weiss sharpened her eyes in disbelief.

Whitley left with a smile as Jaune and Weiss constantly bicker on their way to the underground parking lot of the academy, while he himself walk on the direction of Alsius Combat School, which located some 300 meter away from the gate.

Looks like his sister is in a good company, at least.

"WHOA! WHOAAA!"

Whitley Schnee didn't have time to react when he saw a blur of red crashed right into him, the force of which threw his relative slender body like a ragdoll. He flinched as he felt the pain even thought his aura protected him from actual damage.

But when he regained his focus, he realized the presence of a beautiful young girl clad in red cloak over black dress.

Straddling right over his lap.

"...are you okay, Miss?" He tried to ask as calmly as he could, but he couldn't deny that the close encounter made his heart race. He always put his guard around girls, so this accident was a new experience for him.

"Err...sorry, I'll get up." The girl stood and pulled the cloak over her head and patted the snow away from her skirt, revealing a reddish black hair cut short at cheek length. Her silver eyes stared at him full of guilt, "It's kind of slippery around here so..."

"It's alright." Whitley assured her, "If I'm hurt by such small accident I wouldn't really be here wouldn't I?"

"Umm... yeah but still, anyway, are you student of Atlas too?" She asked, "Where are the new students supposed to gather?"

"No, I went to Alsius over there." He pointed the separate school complex, then bowed gracefully and presented the Atlas buildings behind him. "New Atlas student supposed to gather in the assembly hall in the Atlas School Building, I believe."

"Ah, so the big buildings over there, got it." The girl hurriedly ran toward the Atlas School complex, "Thank you!"

"Wait, your name is-"

Before Whitley could ask, she jumped away with tremendous velocity, leaving a trail of red rose petals in her wake. Whitley moved his hand to catch them, but they all disappeared into warm red light as soon as they fell.

A semblance?

"...Rose." He muttered as he clenched his palm. For some reason, it piqued his interest greatly.

Little he knew, it wouldn't be their last meeting.

* * *

 **つづく**


	6. Chapter 6

**AndreiN00B - Too late dude, raise your flag and prepare for ship war!**

 **OBSERVER01 - I'm happy that someone actually like Garnet. Honestly I dislike making OC taking center stage, but it's pretty necessary to establish character's backstories outside canon boundaries. That said, some people may notice that my OC isn't really OC, but random characters from other franchise.  
**

 **And yes, Papa Schnee is a big dick, but I'm not going to make him mustache twirling evil.**

 **FFReader123 - I'm very impatient guy who can't even be arsed to wait for my beta, so, gomen.**

 **All-seeing Hunter - Thanks, honestly I never see why characters getting laid is a big cool thing. In fact, it'll be probably one of the more important issues Jaune has to deal with, because he wanted something MORE than sex, that he never get so far. Also, Garnet is less a mentor and more a Senpai to him, their actual Mentor will show up sometimes in the future.**

 **Also, I'm going to use new forms of scene transition, so tell me if you dislike it and I will change it back.**

* * *

 _ **Atlas Academy Main Hall, 09:50 A.M.**_

By the time Weiss and Jaune arrived in the main hall, it was already packed densely by the other student applicants. Though each and every single of them passed through the entrance exam either through school transcripts or practical test, the second placement exam called initiation will take place soon.

And with the way Summer described it, it will be overwhelmingly difficult compared to his practical test few days ago. The details are, unsurprisingly classified, but the gist of what he heard from various sources, it's basically 'throw the student into wilderness and let them find their way to survive.'

Well, Jaune knew wilderness, the best wilderness, Vacuo wilderness are insanely dangerous, and yet he survived.

He's more afraid by the cold weather than anything else, because he's not accustomed to this weather. Despite under the same stream of hot wind from the east, the city of Atlas still frozen all year round by the combination of altitude and latitude. He shudder to think what's the weather beyond the mountainous area would be, it must be deathly cold.

Still, if Garnet's words were true, Grimm are much, much slower in Atlas than anywhere else. The weather affected them worse than it did to the humans.

 _I just need to be careful._

 _You can do this Jaune._

"-ne... Jaune?" Weiss' beautiful voice brought him back to reality, "Are you nervous?"

"Y-yeah, I never fought in the snow before. I'm scared, what if I slipped? I've fought lots of grimm before, and I knew very well what it means to waste three seconds from lying to standing." He said, sweat dripped from his chin, "Sorry if that sounds pathetic to you."

"It really is pathetic." Weiss definitely didn't spare any blow in her criticism, and yet, she smiled confidently as she poked his chest. "But you're not the only one. And unlike majority of these people, you actually have combat experience. At least you didn't get knocked out by the first grimm you fight, like I did."

"Uhuh. Of all people?" Jaune muttered in disbelief. Weiss, of all people, lost against the first Grimm she fought? Who would believe that?

"You don't believe me, do you?" Weiss glared at him and pointed the scar over her left eyes, her voice seems to be... mellow, at least more than usual. "This, this is the proof Jaune. The proof of my humiliating defeat. You still want to question it?"

Jaune raised his hands to calm her down, looks like Jaune weren't the only one with self esteem issues. He don't know whether he should be glad or worried about it. Still, Weiss was unfair to compare the enemy she fought and average grimm, and it bothered him. "You mean the possessed mecha-knight? Penny was no match for it alone, that thing would straight up kill me, I don't see why you would be so concerned-"

Weiss hissed and kicked his shin, much to his confusion. It was barely hurt, and he's fine with that, but the fact that she stormed away, he was not.

"Great job, idiot, now she hates your guts." Jaune sighed, "Me and my shoe-chewing mouth. Now where I can find another nice and quirky girl to talk to?"

The he realized how horribly selfish that sounded and slapped his own face. He really, really need to stop putting his mouth before his brain. "No, Jaune, you need to find Weiss, apologize and then things will be fine. Things will be fine..."

"Jaune!"

Jaune almost made a neckbreaking turn and shouted back, "Oh, hi, Ruby, you're finally here."

They shared a high five, or low five from Jaune himself, thanks to the staggering difference of height between them.

"Oh God I thought I was late, or something. That was really, really awful. I got lost, and my mom disappeared... again. I even crashed on this really pretty boy and-" Ruby frantically told him, stopped for a second then asked. "I'm not late aren't I?!"

Jaune blinked in confusion, looked at his scroll, and shook his head. "Just in time."

"Where are the others?" Ruby widened her eyes, curious.

"Haven't see Penny yet, and Weiss must be here... somewhere." Jaune's smile turned upside down, "Let's try to find Weiss."

Ruby tailed behind him, somewhat nervous. "Huh? What happened?"

"I might have said something insensitive." Jaune grinned, "Either way her mood is a little bad so careful about what you'd say."

Ruby didn't really understand what happened, but maybe she should keep that in mind. Her brother always said, first impression might not be everything but it definitely worth a lot of things.

Speaking of which she should write a letter for him and Yang later, they should already be in Beacon around this time, maybe even beginning their initiation too.

However, through Jaune and Ruby combed through the nearest crowd, they couldn't find Weiss anywhere. Meanwhile, the opening ceremony will began shortly and they decided to stop, or else causing unwarranted attention. Still, Jaune stumbled on a couple of familiar faces at last.

"...Ciel? Penny?"

"Sa-lu-ta-tion." Penny saluted stiffly as her neck bent in such sharpness it's almost inhuman, "You made it, at last."

"Uh, morning, Penny." Ruby smiled awkwardly, she will need more time to adjust with this one friend.

"Please be quiet, ceremony will begin soon." Ciel said coldly as she tapped her watch to make emphasis, which scared the three other students into silence. As the commotion within the student body died down, their eyes locked on the elevated stage of the main hall where Ironwood and what looks like the teachers body stood from one end to another.

"I see you students have gathered here." Ironwood said without even slightest bit of courtesy, clearly to intimidate the students into quietness. "When I came here I expected aspiring warriors and heroes, but the most I could see were nothing but youngsters who don't know what they're doing."

 _Ouch._

"Your time in Combat school was nothing but a foundation. A foundation that you will find extremely precious, and you will regret that you couldn't do so much more back then. But make no mistake, it's better to live and regret than to die, and today, your skill and knowledge will be put on a deadly test to determine whether you are ready for this academy. Those who are not ready, please step back."

The deafening silence couldn't possibly be more clearer than now, people would've heard a needle drop at the other end of the room.

"Good." Ironwood stepped back, and then, the woman who Jaune and others recognize as Weiss' mother stepped forward, "Initiation will begin right at 12.00 AM in the airport after lunch hour. Until then, you are free to use any facilities in Atlas academy for preparation. Whether it's acquiring extra gear and ammunition, gathering more information, or resting and preparing your mental and physique for the ensuing hardship. Feel free to ask for help from any of Academy staff and military personnel you find around. For now, dismiss."

"Did she said free ammo?" Jaune salivated in response and licked his lips.

"Sounds like free ammo for me." Ruby nodded with her eyes brightened, wonder what kind of ammunition she can find in the countries that lead the most advanced dust research on the planet.

"Technically it's paid by government subsidies." Ciel corrected them, "Not that it matters, this entire academy is government funded."

Jaune wonder if stating the obvious is Ciel's hobby.

"Well, shall we go to the armory?" Penny proposed.

"I would like to but..." Jaune looked around, "I'm worried about Weiss."

"You don't have to." Weiss told him, as she walked from the crowd, "I'll go to library first, there's something I need to read about, just to be sure."

"Weiss! Good morning!" Ruby waved her hands cheerfully, "Nice to see you around."

"It's not nice for me." Weiss snarled, "But putting that aside, my point still stand."

Almost everyone aside from obviously oblivious Penny could see how Ruby visibly shrunk a little, "Oh, okay then."

Even Weiss couldn't bear the sight, and mellowed down a little. It's not like Ruby is being annoying or anything, and that response was completely unwarranted. "Find me in the library when you're done."

Ruby and Jaune shared a glance and grinned, with newfound confidence Ruby jumped, "Alright then, let's go!"

As the three girls went their way to the direction of the armory, Jaune stood for a moment and softly called.

"Weiss, I'm sorry for saying such dumb things." He said, "But... my mother once said this: Everyone is entitled to their own sorrow, for the heart has no metric or form of measure. And all of it is irreplaceable. I'm not sure what she meant but... I feel I should say it."

Weiss' eyes widened in shock for a moment, but then, her expression became much calmer. Somehow, that phrase seems exceedingly familiar. Something that Weiss heard long, long time ago.

 _Ah right._

Her mother, that is, the one who gave birth to her and her siblings.

Somehow, these words touched her more than she wanted.

"I wouldn't pretend to understand things I don't understand, and I might say ignorant things that might hurt you." Jaune said to her earnestly, "But if you need someone to lend their ears, I'll be there."

Weiss rolled her eyes aside in embarrassment, and then coughed twice to regain firmer grasps of her usual voice. "Alright then, now go. We don't want you to ran out of ammo in the middle of initiation, do we?"

Jaune nodded and dashed away, free from burden of worries. He picked his absolutely massive weapon bag, easily as long as he himself tall, and probably weighed more than her as person. Yet, he carried them so lightly it almost amazing.

Weiss turned her back and left the hall with a smile.

* * *

 **[TO SHINE IN MEDIOCRITY]**

 **The Story of Atlas Hunter Academy**

 **By**

 **ZeroXSEED**

* * *

 **Chapter 06 - Unbalanced  
**

* * *

 _ **Atlas Academy Library, 10:15 A.M.**_

Truthfully, Weiss still felt worried. Combat school was good, and she just happened to be one of the most skilled students of her year. But everything they taught her is the basics of basics, they don't really teach the practicals of fighting solidified hate incarnate. The scar on her eye felt numb again as she remembered her first fight against the possessed knight. It was a solid proof that her achievement at Alsius, no matter how high, is irrelevant in real combat.

But she wouldn't give up to her fear.

Ironwood was right. It's better to live in regret than die in vain. She regretted it, and she will learn from it.

 _I just need to be careful._

 _You can do this Weiss._

And so, she began to recite her knowledge quietly with eyes closed, only sometimes she open her eyes to peek at the holographic screen of library's computer.

She remembered them all, to a T. That's good, now to make sure she didn't suffer fear-induced amnesia...

"It's rare to see people actually reading something in a library." A blue haired young man sat beside her and open the console, opening the exact same information as Weiss did. The information about Grimm.

"It's rarer to see people reading quietly." Weiss said in sour note, that unwarranted greeting seriously broke her tempo, "If you know what I mean."

"I know what you mean, like the ladies over there." The brown-skinned man nonchalantly presented the people across their position, completely missed her sarcasm. Weiss couldn't see clearly, but she could see a blond head bobbed up and down in distress, while an orange-haired girl in twin tails bounced around her loudly. "Oh c'mon, don't give up just yet."

"That besides the point." Weiss twitched.

"The name is Neptune, Neptune Vasilas, from Mistral. I apologize if I bothered you, I desperately need some pointers."

"Sure, Neptune." Though he began with a bad start, Weiss do like studious people. "What I can help you with?"

"May I know your name, snow angel?"

 _Snow... angel? Really? That's the best he could muster?_

And yet, Weiss could feel blood rushed through her veins, slowly drawn rose colored streaks around her cheek. The way he sat, the way he looked at her, and his smile, they're charming, to put it modestly. The man _oozed_ confidence. And Weiss really, really like men with confidence. Unlike her scraggly childhood acquaintance who keep drowned himself in self-doubt, this Mistrali young lad knows who he's dealing with.

"I'm Weiss."

"Weiss, what a beautiful name, fair and white as Snow. It's suit you well."

Weiss had trouble breathing. If she stay with him just five minutes longer, she might just lose it. And just like any self-respecting Schnee worth their name, that's a big problem. Real, big, problem.

 _No, Weiss, you didn't came here to flirt. Okay maybe you can, but later._

 _After initiation perhaps._

 _If I survived that is._

"Thank you. Can we at least get back to the topic at hand?" Weiss requested awkwardly.

"Sure, I want to ask about-"

"GAH WHY ARE THESE INFORMATION SO CONFUSING TO READ?!" The blond girl across the table yelled, her clear blue eyes gleamed from all the moisture she accumulated from holding back her tears. "Isn't there something like Grimm 101 for dummies?"

Weiss glared and then stood, quickly fetch the book in question and threw it on the table.

"At the very least you COULD try to find it yourself, now, please be quiet."

"Thank you." The girl grinned, "I'm shocked you could find them so fast."

For some reason, her grin and expression looked exceedingly familiar. But Weiss was too pissed to think about it. Weiss pointed at the racks, labelled 'Entry subjects'. Obviously, it's filled to the brim with books that newcomer would easy to learn about.

"Good, now you could go back to being lovey-dovey with the cyanide handsome." The orange haired girl declared with a smile so wide Weiss wondered how it could even be humanly possible, and her little fangs gleamed under the library light. "Or you could get a room somewhere instead, this is library not host club, Yanno?"

Weiss gritted her teeth, until she noticed the tail hanging from the girl's behind. Weiss snorted uncharacteristically, "I don't want to hear that from a loud and motormouth faunus."

The orange haired girl blinked, and then grinned again. "What's with me being a faunus has anything to do with me being loud, ice queen?"

Weiss feigned ignorance and looked aside, uncaring. "Nothing. This is library, please be quiet."

"Girls, this is neither the time nor place." Neptune said as he subtly got between them, just in case something violent happened. And boy, don't Neptune knew about it? Angry teens and aura-enhanced martial arts always spell bad things. "Let's just study together, okay?"

"Psssh. Don't be a nerd." The catty faunus snorted, "What's next, studying quietly with nary a word spoken?"

"I prefer being called intellectuals, thank you very much." Neptune refuted, "The name is Neptune-"

"Neon Katt." The faunus girl said, "I'm from eastern Atlas, nice to meet you Nep. Also, cool boots."

"Thank you. And this is Weiss." Neptune winked.

Eastern Region, though originally wasn't part of Atlas territory, it was later claimed and absorbed into the kingdom thanks to combination of newly discovered natural resources and continuously growing population eager to traverse new possibilities. In other words, eastern territory is a symbol of Atlas' military and economic might, able to fend of Grimm despite lesser amount of natural defenses than western Atlas.

Unsurprisingly, most of Atlas' faunus population also made their home in Eastern region. As Faunus got one of the worst treatment over here in Atlas, any chance for them to make a better life is better than nothing...

"Well, Jenny, it's yer turn."

The blond girl stood, pretty much towering over Weiss by over a head tall despite Weiss being the one on Platform shoes. It startled Weiss a little, indeed, the girl probably about as tall as Jaune.

Scratch that, the girl IS Jaune, or not, since Weiss could see her breastplate hiding what looks like sizable chest. And yet, those blond hair, innocent sets of blue eyes, and silly grin, couldn't be much more similar than it is already.

They're practically gender counterpart of each other.

"The name is Jeanne, Jeanne Arc-"

Weiss finally managed to connect the dots. "Sweet, short, rolls off the tongue. Lads love it?" The silvery white haired heiress asked rhetorically.

"Wait, how do YOU know that?" Jeanne balked.

Then a pair of lioness ears popped out from the blond's head, a sign of her being startled. For the most part, the length and thickness of her hair obscured them unless something made them stood upright.

And Weiss could only curse her fate louder inwardly as Weiss slammed her palm on her own forehead.

 _Goodness, why?!_

 _ **Atlas Academy Armory, 10:15 A.M.**_

With the arrival of new students, the armory was packed tightly by people who tried to acquire something for the upcoming initiation exam. For the most part, they could find what they requested with ease. And so the traffic never clog up.

But there's always exceptions to the rule.

"What do you mean you don't have the ammo?" Ciel sharpened her eyes, "I thought Academy's armory also tied to the military logistic and arsenal supplies?"

The armory staff shrugged, "Not a single record in history show someone who actually use medium autocannon rounds for their personal weapon. If it's just grenades or rockets we have plenty. We even have this stockpile of Denel 20mm shorts." He said as he put a couple of massive rounds on the table, "That and Vulcan rounds are the heaviest cartridges we have right now."

The other staff jokingly commented, "Besides, can you imagine the size of that weapon? Sounds like someone is overcompensating."

And the staff members laughed. Their voice remains skeptical, indeed. Jaune didn't just ask some light autocannon rounds like 20mm Vulcan or Hispano, he asked for something substantially larger, which just absurd to even think about.

Which to be fair, Jaune didn't bring his gun along, he left it in weapon locker. Still, for them to look down on huntsman-in-training like that... almost unthinkable. Ciel consider hunters to be on a whole another level in Atlas hierarchy. And what they did was extremely disrespectful.

If she's angry about it, she didn't show it well.

"It's okay, Ciel, I still have the older ammo I bought from the market." Jaune said, "Just finish your business so we can move on."

"Even so-"

"Is there a problem?" A strong and firm woman's voice called, it was rather low in volume, and yet, the way she put emphasis seems to frighten the academy staffs in vicinity. A woman somewhere in the 20s, dressed in customized Atlesian army uniform, that was white coat with blue trim.

Uniform of Atlesian Specialist, hunter in service of Atlesian Military.

"Ma'am." They saluted, despite their shaky hands. "This first year student is asking for BK-27 cartridge, we don't have it at the moment."

"Are you telling me the third most common gunship and air defense weapon we have doesn't have ammo?" the woman frowned, that expression scared the staffs into half-death state from the sheer terror alone. "I don't care if you stole it from the Army munition storage, fetch it _now_." The woman still, somehow, kept her voice calm and collected, despite the sheer rage projected from her eyes.

It even seemingly disturbed the perpetually composed Ciel, while Jaune himself was scared shitless.

"YES MAAM."

And the two armory staffs quickly dashed for their lives, and possibly career. Either way, it's dangerous to raise their voices against Atlesian specialist like that.

The specialist looked back at Jaune, her stiff face look much softer. "My apologies for the inconvenience. It would be a shame for Atlas, of all academies, fail to provide combat logistic support provided to it's students. Especially you, Jaune Arc." The specialist smiled, "General Ironwood had high hopes for you."

"He did?" Jaune twitched, seriously though, as if he need another mental burden to carry...

Other people would be proud, but not him.

"He really did, so please, don't make him disappointed." She nodded, then looked at Penny and Ciel. "That goes for all of you."

"Thank you very much, ma'am." Penny, Ciel and Jaune all saluted in respect. And with that, the female Atlesian Specialist left.

"I'm done!" Ruby said when she finished her share and carry the rationed ammo on a military green can the size of her own stomach, completely ignorant to what happened just then. "I'm lucky they got so many variety."

The red-hooded girl soon enough preoccupied with refilling all of her spare magazines with various type of ammo, and attached a magnetic symbol on their surface so she didn't mistook one type of ammo for the others.

Ciel hung elongated bags on her belt, each almost reach her knees, and there are four of them. Meanwhile, the empty spaces between long bags straps were filled by a pair of smaller, boxier machine gun ammo bags on each sides and four grenade pouch on her bag. For the final touch, she wore a harness that held a small field bag on her back, probably holding something important like ration or medical supplies.

Overall, just like Jaune, she seems to prefer militaristic approach to apparel. The difference is of course, Ciel prefer her gears dark blue, darker than the color of her skirt and Beret. She also pack herself rather light, with her only visible weapon being her trusty assault rifle that she left in her locker. The rest pretty much blend with the rest of her clothes.

This in contrast to Jaune's mixture of dark green and light tan, the usual Vacuo militia gear color.

"What about you Penny?" Ruby asked.

"I use standard battery pack, so, don't worry." Penny said as she took multiple power cells of various sizes and shoved them in a small backpack.

"Cold climate of Atlas will help immensely with the cooling system of directed energy weapon." Ciel said, approvingly even. "Though depends on the weather you might not be able to use them at all. This is why Atlesian Army still kept their stockpile of conventional rifles, aside from standard issue beam rifle in service."

"My apologies for the wait." The armory staffs came, seemingly exhausted from carrying all the ammunition Jaune need, a whole crate of 60 rounds. "Would this amount be fine? Unfortunately we can only find frangible ammo to spare, they're running out of high explosives at the moment."

"That should be fine. Thank you." Jaune politely bowed, and then nonchalantly carried the crate on one shoulder seemingly without problem. "Looks like we're done here. Let's store our weapons in the locker."

"Kids these days, man." The armory staffs sighed in relief when Jaune and others gone out of their sight, _they keep getting weirder and weirder_.

 _ **Atlas Academy Library, 10:40 A.M.**_

"Are you telling me one of the most dangerous Grimm in Atlas are one and half foot tall suicidal penguins?" Jeanne asked incredulously, seemingly didn't believe Weiss' explanation.

"Yeah, until they shove their beak in your guts." Weiss deadpanned, "They're basically living torpedo, they are going to pursue you endlessly and in the moment of weakness, will use accumulated gas in their stomach to increase their speed tremendously-"

"Propelled by fart you mean." Neon corrected her, for sufficient value of correction that is.

Weiss decided to ignore the mischievous faunus, and continued her presentation. "A sufficiently lucky Leng has been know to pierce through a Bullhead's fuselage, that amount of impact going to knock good sum of your aura. And that's just one, as Lengs are known to come in packs of dozens or hundreds."

"Quantity over quality, huh." Neptune sagely held his chin. "I don't think we can outrun them, so what do we do?"

"Wide area attack." Weiss said, "Lengs are weak individually, so low intensity, wide area attack work the best." Weiss looked at the 3D hologram in front of her and manipulated it, "Furthermore, they're incapable of actual fighting so we should always go on the offensive."

"In other words, wipe them out when you see them." Neon clapped, "I guess that's just it?"

"So a colder climate version of Ursa, Beowolf, Leng, about three species that should be encountered for the most part?" Jeanne recounted the explanation. "Anything else?"

"Well, you might rarely fight the cold variant of Berlingel, a gorilla-shaped Grimm with extremely powerful strength for their size." Weiss shown the picture, a Grimm gorilla with spiky white fur that's actually made of bones. "But they're generally solitary creatures, so we will never see them in packs. And then, the most difficult to kill..."

A picture of black elephant with skeletal mask was shown. "The Goliath."

"...I've seen that one before." Jeanne's face turned serious, "And Weiss is right, it's really, really hard to kill. But they're slow, we should be able to outrun it easily if we find one."

"You've seen that before?" Weiss asked, somewhat skeptical.

Jeanne stood, gripped the sword on her waist tightly, "The problem of Goliath isn't that they're dangerous to us, but the amount of damage they can give and take, means you will need the heaviest arsenal you can find just to hurt it. We're not talking some peashooters stuff, we're talking the main cannon of a tank here."

"Jeez, talk about linebreaker." Neon winced, "No wonder it's classified as first class threat in the event of Grimm attack on people's settlements."

"It wouldn't hurt to prepare." Weiss said, "That's the exact reason why I brought two swords."

Not that she cared about these untrustworthy faunus. But especially Neon, who haven't shown slightest bit of positive traits in her so far. Jeanne at least DOES share ability to be serious when needed, similar to the familiar boy Weiss knew.

And thankfully she did, or else Weiss will be really annoyed.

"You mind if I ask something, Jeanne?" Weiss asked, "Do you have relations with the man named Jaune Arc?"

"How do you-"

But before Jeanne could ask where she heard that name, Weiss pointed at the entrance to the library, where Jaune stood there.

Jeanne slowly and surely stood, her lips quivered in shock. "...Jaune..."

Jaune faked a smile to hide his uneasiness, "Thought you actually went to Shade."

"Jaune you asshole!" Jeanne grinned widely, unable to hide her excitement as she stormed off and hugged him closely, their almost identical height made it a little bit easier. Jeanne's little sets of second ears fluttered in response to her happiness. "Man I missed you so much! You should have told me you're going here!"

That moment, Jaune swore to himself that maybe you would like to kill his mentor, or die trying. This has to be a deliberate ploy, more than a simple coincidence. Or not, it's not like his mentor have connection with his sister or anything.

 _Did he?_

Penny tilted her head and asked frankly, "Sister?"

"How you would know?" Jeanne asked as she left her awkward brother alone.

"You have identical skull shape, though, the jawlines were a bit different." Penny pointed her own cheek. Okay that's creepy reasoning, more than anything else. With exception of Ciel, who just looked at Penny disapprovingly, others took a step away from Penny in horror. "Did I say something wrong?"

"You could've at least said that they have like, matching faces or something." Neon yelled, "What the heck is wrong with you?!"

"Shut up Katt, this is library." Weiss hissed.

"Man this has to be the weirdest group I stumbled into." Neptune quietly muttered to himself, "Not that I'm complaining."

From the looks of it, his life in Atlas academy will not be as boring as he expected. He couldn't wait to tell Sun everything about this academy.

* * *

 **つづく**


	7. Chapter 7

_**Atlas Academy Airport, 11:50 A.M.**_

The Teachers watched intently as the students began to scramble across the vast area of Atlas Academy airport. In particular, a certain bespectacled woman stood beside Ironwood and Summer seems to be the most interested, and amused.

"Do you believe in chance?" She suddenly asked.

"I believe chance is something that exist." Ironwood said firmly, "But not good enough reason to bet the future of hundreds of my students on."

The woman scoffed, "And yet you'd rather believe in this pesky little thing called matchmaking software."

"If it ain't broke." Ironwood gestured almost nonchalantly, indeed, it was like he's almost tired having to deal with the Schnee witch, and lost all semblance of hard edges he acquired from decades of military service. Seriously, she couldn't possibly be more different than the daughters she raised. They're all so serious and straitlaced, in comparison to their carefree and sometimes seductive mother.

Which is a good thing really, if only to counteract whatever poison Jacques put in his children's daily life. Besides, if not for her attitude and lack of military ties, Cereza Schnee could be a headmaster material herself.

Summer Rose tilted her head as she fixed the collar around her neck, as much as she applaud their sense of style, Atlesian teacher uniform are way beyond what she'd call comfortable. Oh well, if her daughter complain she can suck it too, it's a small price to pay.

She'll be sure to take a visit to the school tailor later.

"So what was he talking about, if I may ask?" Summer asked.

"Oh nothing much." The dark haired tall woman reached for the shorter woman's shoulder and whispered, "As you may aware, Beacon use randomized method of matchmaking when it comes to partnerships and team placement."

 _Literally throw things off a cliff and see what will stick_ , Summer nodded, that tradition has yet to change even though it's been almost two decades since she graduated. "Yeah, I'm well aware of that, Professor Schnee."

"Well we Atlesian do it differently. We use software analysis on our prospective students and pair them based on personal compatibility above anything else. The results should be accessible to the academy staff now." Ironwood explained, "And I assure you no one will be disappointed."

"Who is he trying to convince?" Summer scoffed as she expand her scroll. "Let's see who my little hoodie being assigned with-"

* * *

 **[TO SHINE IN MEDIOCRITY]**

 **The Story of Atlas Hunter Academy**

 **By**

 **ZeroXSEED**

* * *

 **Chapter 07 - Landing Strategy  
**

* * *

 _ **Atlas Academy Airport, 11:55 A.M.**_

"Looks like we're assigned to different team huh." Jaune said in dismay as he saw the number on his scroll, he and Weiss did show different number, or rather, motif. The students participating in the initiation would've received such marks that told them which transport to take.

"Well what can you say, welcome to Atlas academy." Weiss rolled her eyes aside, "So... it might be a little late to ask but... what kind of girl is your sister?"

"Well... strictly speaking you don't really have to worry about her abilities." Jaune made final adjustment on his recoiless rifle, "She's definitely stronger than me."

"That doesn't tell me anything, Jaune." Weiss shook her head exasperatedly.

"She can be a little impulsive, headstrong, overconfident, a little dumb sometimes... kind of like me but with even worse temper." Jaune chuckled, "I can't tell you much, after all we've been drifting apart ever since high school become a thing."

Weiss gave up trying to comprehend him as both of them split toward their own transport aircraft.

Naturally, students would gravitate to each other willingly or not. The method might be different, but the goal is the same. Even without considering the extremely computerized and mechanical method, Weiss already know the possible members of her team.

After all, there's no such thing as coincidence. As a member of the Schnee household, Weiss had been taught that as far as she could remember. No matter how small, if something can happen, it can happen.

Logically, Weiss would expect her current team to be the most unlikely, and yet, here she is sitting with three of the most quirky students she met. Her first impression of them wasn't exactly stellar, but it's not like she had much to show either.

After all, he had even less confidence in her abilities than _Jaune Arc_. Weiss knew, she fully knew what she can achieve, but the ghost of her defeat, which left her with massive scar around her left eye, still continue to haunt her even now.

"So what exactly initiation is about?" Neptune asked, "People kept their lips tight about it no matter how much I asked."

"Meh, it's probably just accomplish an assignment or two." Neon stretched her fingers shortly before she tied her bright orange hair into twin tails arrangement. "You don't have to worry about anything. Lol."

Jeanne fixed the position of her tiara, "Want to bet how long until some students ran from an Ursa? I'll wager on fifteen minutes."

"Sucker's bet." Neon snorted, "Ten minutes."

"We're about to head out there in the wilderness and fight enemies of humanity, and you girls are joking about other students running away." Weiss still cannot believe she assigned to this team, of all things. Weiss looked at the only boy in the group in the small hopes that he would, at least, be less laid back about it.

Neptune shrugged and flirted in response, "You're just nervous, Snow angel. We'll be fine."

 _And then there's this dunce..._

Still, Weiss can admit, their mental fortitude is indeed top notch. Combat school or not, the fact that they look so calm in the face of unknown test is a strength on it's own. A lot of students that Weiss personally knew to came from Alsius would boast all their way to high heaven right now, and yet run in the face of actual Grimm, and that wouldn't be shocking to her at all.

She just don't want to admit it.

Perhaps Neptune was right, perhaps Weiss really was the weakest link in this team.

That need to be rectified post haste.

"So, Weiss, I know it's kind of random but did you meet Jaune before?" Jeanne suddenly become unusually serious, "You know, just in case the half-scarf wasn't obvious enough."

"... I don't remember the details anymore, but... we had fun, and the impression kind of last." Weiss chuckled, "But that's that, neither of us actually knew each other beyond that. We didn't even remember each others' names until recently."

"Childhood sweetheart huh, I'm kind of jealous." Neon teasingly laughed, "Careful Jean, someone going to steal your dear bro."

"Ha, ha, ha, very funny, Nyan Cat." Jeanne snarled, then she became quiet and had to confirm, "...she's joking right, Weiss?"

"As far as I'm concerned she is, I am not romantically attracted to your brother." Weiss put on emphasis, seeing as this conversation can only get dumber. "Besides how should I know if he's even single?"

"Well we could ask..." Jeanne raised her scroll, seriously contemplating to call.

"Or we could stop talking about your brother until you have a good chance to speak with him alone, I'm sure he'd appreciate the privacy." Weiss cut her off and pushed her scroll away. Seriously, Jaune wasn't joking about Jeanne being a little dumb. This is way beyond socially clueless, this is just _daft_. Is being socially insensitive inherent with the Arcs, or just the siblings that share it?

"D'oh." Jeanne slapped her own face in realization, "Sorry, I'm so excited to meet him again after all these months missing out."

"You'll get all the time you need, bro-lover." Neon assured her, "As soon as we get out of this alive and intact."

"I'm just worried about him alright!" Jeanne protested with reddened face.

And with that, the bullhead engines roared ablaze, dozens upon dozens transport scrambled in different direction, carrying the assigned fresh batch of students to their destination. The entire airfield of Atlas Academy filled with deafening echoes of the metal birds and their jet engines. The noise was intense enough that any lesser soldiers would not survive without their helmet filter, for aura can only help so much to make you comfortable.

And yet, some of the passenger doors were left open, as if some of the students tried to exchange a look with each other for the last time.

That's exactly what happened with Jaune and Weiss.

Jaune sat on the edge, feet hanging, as his twenty seven millimeter bore cannon rested on his lap, grinning all the way. Behind him, Ruby and Penny both waved their hand at Weiss. Weiss returned the wave halfheartedly, it's not like they're friends or anything, but at the very least she could be courteous about it.

Then Jeanne had to barge in and shout as loud as she can. "SEE YOU LATER, JAUNE."

"You know he couldn't hear you even if you shout." Weiss said as she tightened the hat flaps around her cheek. Partially to cover her ears from the cold, but also from the engine noises that has been ringing aloud at the moment.

"He'll get it anyway." Jeanne sad, excited, "Oh my God, this stupid exam can't be finished soon enough."

Weiss slid close the door, finally shielded everyone from the harsh weather and the noise. "It should be around this time we receive a briefing."

And their scrolls simultaneously rings as they receive a video feed from none other than Ironwood himself.

"[I'll be brief, your mission today will be Search and Retrieve. A rocket locker will be launched into the general area where you landed, and your task is to retrieve the item held within the locker and bring it back to rendezvous point. You have time until the sun set, and you only have one rule to follow: Survive. That's all.]"

"Oh boy. Search and retrieve huh." Neon licked her lips, "Might actually be harder than it sounds, with all this snow."

"But it's always snowing in Atlas right?" Neptune pulled down his goggles.

"Well, that depends." The cat faunus said, "Most of Southeast Atlas is covered in Alpine forest and Taiga, while southwest Atlas covered in swamp and marshlands. Seeing as we're going north, we're likely to face a frozen woods more than anything else, if not outright lifeless tundra."

"Finding a single locker in such situation is likely going to be difficult, but I'm sure the school already took that into account. Initiation never last more than few hours, not in the history of Atlas Academy." Weiss nodded, "Neon, you seems to know more about the region than the rest of us did. Can we ask your help?"

Asking for a help... from a Faunus, but the sheer low Weiss Schnee will go to achieve her redemption, this much is nothing. Pride rewards nothing without proof, and Weiss will prove that she's worthy of Schnee name.

"Of course, we're going to be a team, it's for my own good too." Neon said as she hit Weiss on her shoulder.

"I'm so lucky to be paired with you ladies." Neptune said, "Honest."

For the most part, the fact that they seemingly immune to his charm is... good, kind of underwhelming, but good. He really, really don't want things to be awkward with his team.

"Betcha you are." Jeanne grinned proudly, befitting her lioness ears.

"[It's two minutes until destination, I suggest you kids prepare your landing strategy.]" The pilot warned, "[And yes, I do mean you get to jump out of this transport. School tradition you see.]"

"Oh you got to be kidding me." Neptune rubbed his hands in anticipation.

Jeanne mockingly crossed her arms, "Why? Is our little sea prince afraid of heights?"

"Not even remotely true." Neptune said as she slid open the cabin door, rush of cold air blasted the rest of the passengers as he courteously bowed. "Ladies first."

Weiss waste no time as the first one to launched herself away from the transport, three hundred meters in the air. Jeanne and Neon soon followed, and Neptune just a little behind. In contrast to Neon and Weiss who preserved their airtime by gliding, Neptune and Jeanne both plunge straight away toward the ground without slowing down.

Weiss wondered what exactly their strategy was.

Neptune pulled something out of his belt, some kind of paper? he threw it ahead of himself and the paper turned into what looks like a floating circle that he step on and bounce from. _Glyph? No, it's different_. Glyph arts, an ancient method of systematically utilizing and shaping your own aura into something solid, and Schnee siblings being somewhat exceptional for mastering them at very young age, what Neptune did was similar, but different.

 _Mistral Style Calligraphy huh..._

Still, Weiss cast a glyph with her sword and bounced on it too. The circular Schnee symbol was silvery white, like the color of her aura. And Neon just landed on all fours without so much as fanfare.

In comparison, Jeanne just smashed the mountain full speed without even so much as dampening her impact, which result in several meter long, deep trenches and small hill's worth of snow.

"That was awesome!" Jeanne said she she exploded out of the pile of snow she made. "Hows that for landing strategy?"

Neptune shook his head in disapproval, "1/10 will not follow." Neon commented.

"What strategy, Jeanne Arc?" Weiss asked incredulously.

"Screw you guys you cheated." Jeanne pouted.

"I didn't, you just suck at using your faunus senses." Neon gave her a red eye and stuck her catlike tongue out.

 _ **Initiation Area B22, North Atlas, 12:20 A.M.**_

Sometimes, one might forget that Snow is softer than sand.

P was definitely one of them.

"Landing strategy my ass." He grumbled as he, Ruby and Ciel had to grab Penny's hands, as her whole body sunk to what basically a whole pile of snow. "Penny, why didn't you use your jetpack equipment?"

"It's under heavy maintenance, the last fight with the possessed knight broke it. And my drone swords, has software problems." Penny said stiffly as she pat the snow off her clothes, "Buster Sword is the only available weapon to me right now."

Jaune looked at the massive sword that hung to the left of her shoulder, it doesn't look too heavy honestly, maybe half of his own recoiless cannon at worst. So that means it's her prosthetic that weighed her down the most. Still, penny wouldn't really have a problem landing with her jetpack, unfortunately.

"Pssh, Penny, what's your prosthetic made of anyway?" Ruby asked, "No offense but it's like pulling a mule out of mud."

Penny was quiet for a moment, then her father, through the spider drone n her back, informed her something. Penny decided to answers, "It's made of 100% Dinochrome."

"... Seriously?!" Ruby and Jaune balked in uncanny moment of resonance.

No wonder Penny weight like twice as much than she appears.

"It's certainly pretty unusual." Ciel commented as if there's nothing actually wrong with the implication, "Dinochrome is very durable, but it's twice as heavy as Durandal alloy, certainly not something you want to use for prosthetic usually."

"I don't really mind." Penny said as she clenched her hand, casually pulverizing a fist sized rock with her grip, "Dinochrome makes for more powerful prosthetic despite the weight issue."

"Well if you say so, careful with the snow though." Jaune chuckled.

"Never seen snow this thick in my entire life." Ruby said, "It'll be really hard to fight in this area, at least the ground aren't that steep."

"Then let's avoid needless fight." Jaune said, "Ciel, Penny, do you think we should go downhill or uphill?"

"Why didn't you ask me?" Ruby protested.

"You're not from Atlas." Ciel said matter-of-factly, and it kind of hurts, but Ruby let it slide. "In my opinion, we should go uphill. That way we could still maintain awareness without missing anything. But I'd rather have consensus, since we might miss things that hidden by obstruction below."

Ruby cocked her carbine, "Let's do it."

"I have no complaint." Penny raised her hand.

"You heard them." Jaune nudged his head, then bent a red glowstick and threw it upside a big rock to mark their landing position. "Just in case we need frame of reference."

Ciel would say it's a good decision, but she decided to kept quiet. With her assault rifle in hand, she lead the way on the top of the mountain. The cold wind wasn't that fierce even in this high altitude, though the thin, moist air can be uncomfortable even for people with highly trained aura. Atlas sure didn't play around for the initiation, the terrain and weather alone could actually kill untrained people.

It is really hard to spot gray metal boxes on a field where everything is so white.

At least they don't have to deal with alpine forest.

"Say, did they ever tell us how far usually we dropped from the target?" Jaune asked.

"They don't." Ciel said firmly.

Ruby squeezed her eyes in disbelief, "...did they actually want us to get lost?"

"I highly doubt that Ruby, Atlas won't give us an impossible mission without frame of reference. There has to be some kind of clue." Penny humored her, or at least, tried, what with her monotonic voice and all.

It wasn't too long until a message came out on their scroll, telling them to go downhill instead. This of course made Jaune and Ruby felt dismayed, but Ruby especially. "Are they joking or what? Now we should go down?"

Ciel pulled a Binocular out of her vest pocket and began to slowly search the area under them. She switched to infrared, hoping that maybe there's some heat signature left from the rocket locker. She switched back to normal vision, and managed to spot a smoking object, she switched to infrared again and notice the signature was strong.

"Six hundred meters down to North." Ciel called out, "And lots of Grimm around it."

Jaune sighed as he pulled his recoiless cannon out of his back and unfold the barrel, making the whole gun longer than he is tall. "Just our luck."

"Stop whining Jaune." Ruby unfold her carbine into scythe form, "And kill them all."

"Well, I will but... alright, how fast you guys can go down this slope. Penny?"

Penny whipped out her legs and her shoes now equipped with a small set of skis, "Very fast all things considered."

"Oh good, me too." Jaune said, then looked at Ruby and Ciel. "You guys can keep up?"

"What? You think you're faster than me?" Ruby snorted and waved her hand, "As if."

Ruby was forced to eat her words when she was forced to use her semblance just to keep up with the other three as they slid down the mountain seemingly without problem, sure, her semblance allowed her to go momentarily reach hundreds of kilometer per hours... but only for a fraction of second, and it cost her a lot of energy to do so. She had to run her way down on her own pace.

And in this snow, it's a total pain.

Ruby yelled, "How could you do that?! That's cheating!"

"Using aura to reduce friction is basic of the basic when fighting on the snow." Ciel answered her.

"Excuse me for living in a place where there are actually four seasons!" Ruby shouted in protest, "Never saw or heard such thing in Patch!"

"Well she's not wrong, I don't know people actually do this outside Vacuo." Jaune said, "Since there are sands everywhere, sliding has been a staple of mobility training in the Militia."

"...fine then, could you at least make it flow on an object you can ride on? Make the aura flow smooth and gentle, and you might just get it." Ciel told Ruby.

Ruby kicked a dead log and then put as much aura as she could on it. The log began to descend at measurable velocity, though still moved erratically for her comfort. Still, at least she no longer have to run.

"Phew... this is actually easier than I thought." Ruby said as she use her scythe both for safety grip and as aura conduit. Her log stopped right when they reach the base of the mountain and she had to jump, while the other three keep going after that.

Still, they're not moving as fast as before, so Ruby can now keep up more easily. Ciel and Jaune both looked at Ruby with some sort of astonishment.

 _To get that right on the first time... she's truly a genius._ Jaune thought inwardly. _She deserved to be here far more than I did._

"Okay, on my signal." Jaune aimed his cannon and aimed at the largest Ursa in the Grimm's group, the bearlike monster couldn't be more oblivious to their presence. However, once Jaune pull the trigger, all bets are off.

"Clear back!"

As the first shell launched, the ground rumbled from explosion for a moment before the saboted tungsten shell struck the target and splatter the Ursa's upper half into pieces. However, the hardened penetrator dart did not stop there, as the shell exploded into dozens of sharp fragments that kill the smaller Grimms behind it.

"Sweet mother of all Gods, Atlesian ammunition is awesome!" Jaune shrieked in excitement, while Ruby just left agape in shock. "What the heck just happened?!"

"FAPDS, also called Frangible Armor Piercing, designed to emulate high explosive armor piercing warhead with purely solid kinetic component. They explode into shower of fragments that would harm everything behind the strike plate. Normally it wouldn't really kill that many Grimm from the secondary effect, but his aura reinforcement made it possible." Ciel explained.

Jaune grinned manically, when he finally realized just how much power he actually wield on his personal weapon. "I could even kill a Goliath with this!"

"Jaune, be careful with your Aura." Penny warned, "Do you feel tired?"

"Not with just a single shot no." Jaune shook his head, did Penny noticed how he began to sweat in this cold weather? "It's definitely draining though, like, three times that of my previous weapon. I would have to conserve it, along with ammunition."

"Uh, guys, no time to talk." Ruby said when the Grimm group converged upon their position. Ruby changed her vector as five unusually muscular beowolves than the one she encountered in Patch began to charge toward her, and she swung her scythe to cut one of them.

She could feel some resistance as her aura-reinforced scythe hit their bone armor, _they have thicker defense too_ , she thought in realization. These beowolves are different than what she usually see in patch.

"Ruby, don't stray too far!" Jaune called.

"Too late!" She backflipped to dodge angry Grimm's claw swipe and then fired her weapon, the recoil sent her four meters backward before she landed. Unfortunately for her, another beowolf appeared out of nowhere and smacked her aside. Thankfully she managed to deflect the brunt of the force with her scythe, but still, it was a close call.

"Going into close quarter alone, just how reckless that girl could be." Jaune grumbled as he faced his first Grimm to be fought in this continent, the black wolf opened it's fang in the effort to crush his face, but Jaune just broke it's jaw with the strike of his ammunition buckler. Jaune hit hard enough to twist the creature's neck and killed it from the impact alone, and the wolf fell unglamorously three meters away.

"How reckless indeed." Ciel said coldly as she fired her assault rifle in burst, though individual bullets was weak, her impeccable accuracy allows her to kill Grimm in very few shots.

"Ciel, could you help her?" Jaune requested, "Penny and I won't be able to keep up with her speed at this rate."

Ciel looked at him questioningly, then slung her rifle as she pulled a sabre out of it's sheath. "Sure."

Ruby managed to cut through third Beowolf through with some effort, not only their bone armor cover more spots, their muscle seemingly denser and thicker than the ones she encountered in her home. Though, much to her blessing, they're nowhere as fast.

So far, none of them managed to land even a second graze.

But Ruby found herself surrounded.

"...Uh oh."

Ciel came out of nowhere, landed on a beowolf's back and struck her Saber on their exposed nape of the neck, she managed to slice through cleanly with much less effort than Ruby did, despite Ruby had heavier blade in her disposal.

 _She knew about their weakpoints_. Ruby told herself mentally. _I just have to follow her example._

Ruby took the chance and hooked the blade of her scythe around the neck of a staggered Grimm, and then fired her gun to give enough push and decapitated it. The other grimm began to take some distance from her and Ciel, probably formulating some sort of crude plans to approach the two young, armed girls.

"It is unwise to go on your own." Ciel said the obvious as the headless demon wolf fell with a thud, "We are members of a team."

"The ones I fought before weren't like them." Ruby said in defiance, "I usually can defeat them alone."

"Beowolves in Atlas adapted to cold weather." Ciel pulled a large caliber pistol and shoved the barrel in another beowolf's eyes, and fired several times. The bullets struck the brain and blew the skull from within. "In the first place, this coldness benefits mankind more than them."

"Yeah, these guys are different in Vacuo too." Jaune said as he smashed another beowolf away, though he needed to stomp it several times for a kill, "The ones I fought were leaner and weaker, but much faster. Sometimes so fast I could barely see them."

Penny came in and sliced another Grimm in two with her huge sword, and then, she switched into gun mode and fired green scorching beam that blew a fist sized hole on the chest of a relative small Ursa. Though it wasn't instant kill, the Ursa staggered and weakened greatly as it bled. "Ruby, please don't go by yourself." Penny said.

It's not an order.

It's a request.

"Ugh, okay." Ruby moaned as she fired her scythe in succession to finish the Ursa Penny crippled. Thankfully, today she didn't forget to bring conventional lead shot.

"Penny, help Ruby to deal with the larger Grimm." Jaune ordered, "Ciel, you and me secure the objective."

"I am combat ready." Penny saluted, "Try to keep up then." Ruby winked shortly before she disappeared into cloud of flower petals. However, Penny's eyes tracked her movement thoroughly as she kept the buster sword in it's beam cannon form to support Ruby from a distance.

Jaune and Ciel slid across the snow toward the direction of the locker.

When a beowolf tried to block their path, Ciel blitzed it from aside and beheaded it with a swipe of her sabre. Jaune rubbed his eyes to make sure he saw the real thing, but... did Ciel just teleported? He sort of see a distortion though, so maybe something else. An illusion? Speed semblance?

 _Doesn't matter._

More and more Grimm show up, though thankfully most of them are of small sizes that can be dealt with ease. Ciel skillfully wade through them without even slightest bit reduction in running pace, and cut at least half the numbers in one go, leaving Jaune to wipe the rest with his fist and boots.

When Jaune stomped the last juvenile beowolf into it's death, they finally reached the locker. Jaune punched through the locker and ripped the door, to find what looks like a black briefcase inside. "Found it."

Their scroll beeped, and on the map of the mountain, was marked the landing zone.

Thankfully it wasn't as far as the first. Only about three hundred meters near the mountain's base, it's pretty close trip even by walking.

"Let's head back, I'm sure Ruby and Penny will receive same info." Jaune smiled.

Ciel nodded wordlessly as she went ahead of him, seeing as he's the one carrying the mission objective, she had to take the brunt of fighting on her own. However, there's not much in the way of Grimm left, and it's shown who caused that when a four meter tall Alpha Beowolf fell on it's face, with Penny on it's back, her sword went through it's armored spine.

Ruby then appeared with a blur of rose petals, bright innocent smile plastered on her face. "We did a good job right?"

Jaune patted her head gently and smiled, "Not bad for a fifteen years old."

"Hey! I drink milk!" Ruby protested and pushed his hand away, "Now that we get the box, we can go back ASAP."

"We should." Penny said, "Father said the weather prediction doesn't look as good as before."

Jaune wondered if Weiss' team managed to find their locker too. Hopefully they did before the weather get worse.

* * *

 **つづく**


	8. Chapter 8

**Last chapter was a little bit underwhelming, most of the fights are flat and boring. I mean it's very obvious that the mook Grimms aren't going to be much of a challenge, but at least I should make the narrative less shallow than that.**

 **This chapter exist to rectify that, and the plot thread shall unravel itself while at it.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"Seriously, where the heck is the transport?" Ruby complained.

It's been exactly ten minutes since they've arrived on the landing site, and yet, under the cold weather, no transport seems to come. No explanation whatsoever, and at times like this, Jaune could feel that his old desert cloak isn't enough anymore.

"You guys mind?" Jaune asked as he bite a cigarette between his teeth, and seeing as his teammates doesn't say anything he lit it. Unfamiliar scent filled the area which made Ciel mostly interested, she knew her fair share of smokers, and this one definitely new.

"Didn't really take you as smoker since you don't smell like that." Ciel commented idly, "That's not tobacco though."

"Not tobacco, it's medical herbs." Jaune pointed, "And I only smoke when it's super cold anyway, keeps your warm in the coldest of desert deployment."

Meanwhile Penny and Ruby seems to be busy playing games with their Scrolls. When there's nothing to do, the least he could try was small talk. It's very likely this team going to be permanent anyway, so at least Jaune need to know about his teammates whenever he got the chance. "So, Ciel, you seems to be very familiar with how things working here. You're interested with military?"

Ciel blinked for a moment, but her poker face did not change as she answered his question. "I was originally aiming for Officer school, but my Dad, himself a Lieutenant General at the moment, convinced me that being a Huntress might be the better career path. So I transferred here to Atlas Academy instead."

Jaune was surprised by her earnestness, many people of their age would never admit that their choice of school is heavily influenced by their parents. After all, after you become 16, you're legally adult. With all the rights and responsibilities to carry.

But he guessed that's just how Ciel roll. "You have a set of realistic goal already, that's... nice?" Jaune said, somewhat amazed, "I just bumble my way here not even sure if I can get accepted, I am surprised Ironwood didn't kick my ass out on first opportunity. I mean, I have Militia experience too but still..."

He wouldn't tell her his main reasoning yet, but what he said already pathetic enough as it is.

"I could see why he didn't." Ciel shook her head as she checked her unloaded rifle for issues, before shortly loaded it again with fresh batch of ammo. "Have faith in your own abilities, I'll be the first one to call you out if you make any mistake."

 _What a strait-laced girl._

"Y-yeah thanks." Jaune winced and then took a long sip on his cigarette, then inhaled the smoke down, fresh mint and cloves filled his lungs with calming sensation.

"People always called me busybody who talked too much." Ciel looked at her watch, "The said I'm not fit to be an officer anyway."

"Really? I thought you'd make a great adjutant." Jaune said, then slapped his face again. Did he just have to say that out loud? That's like saying Ciel will always be number two and should content with it. He might meant it as a compliment but...

What he didn't expect was a small smile from the dark skinned militaristic girl, "I appreciate that."

Jaune was speechless for a moment. Then grinned to cover his embarrassment as he looked away.

Ciel looked at her watch again, and then began to count. "Fifteen minutes and fifty five, six, seven, eight, nine, sixteen minutes. Sixteen minutes and they're here."

Roaring sounds of jet engines filled the valley as the long-awaited bullhead finally descended form the sky, slowly but surely. The voice of the copilot could be heard over the loudspeaker. "[Sorry about the wait kids, grease problem you see.]"

"Finally, I'm so tired of waiting." Jaune said, only for his expression turned upside down when one of the engine exploded. "WHAT THE HELL?!"

The flying aircraft shuddered for a moment, shortly before the balance finally lost and the aircraft spun uncontrollably, and it fell several dozen meter form the supposed landing area. Screeching sounds of bent frames and electrical fires howled shortly, before bone-crunching impact of the fuselage hit the snow at considerable velocity, which threw the other engine away from the destroyed wing.

Stood on the battered fuselage, a proud, lone Grimm. It's hunched figure would tower over the tallest of men easily, which highlight it's entire bulk. Bone plates covered various places, and white as snow fur clashed with pitch black skin, so dark that no amount of light would be reflected. It was like a shadow made real, a hole in reality.

It was a Grimm, but not just ordinary ones.

"Beringel." Ciel said coldly, "I suggest you use your strongest ammo, because small guns aren't going to cut it."

Ruby nodded and switched her magazine into something marked with black circle. "Let's kill it."

"No, our first priority is to save the Atlesian soldiers." Jaune ordered, "Be careful not to use overwhelming firepower. Ciel, you take over the command."

"You may be right." Ciel put back the grenade she took from her waist holsters. "Maintain radio communication, Ruby Rose, prepare to fire on my mark, Jaune Arc, Penny Polendina, engage it at melee then rescue the soldiers at first opportunity."

"Roger!" Ruby said as she dropped on the snow, let part of her scythe sink and her eye locked right on the scope. Jaune and Penny, on the other hand, slid across the snow with combat stance prepared ahead just in case they're attacked.

Instead, the gorilla-shaped Grimm ripped the cockpit... and took the two soldiers within it's huge grasp and swung them on it's front. _It's holding them hostages?_ Ciel twitched for a moment as she lost her composure, "Rose, finger off the trigger."

"You gotta be kidding me!" Jaune grit his teeth in anger, then he noticed something amiss. "Ciel! Grenade!"

Ciel looked at him with curiosity for a second, but then she looked at the direction of the crashed aircraft and understood. She shoved a grenade's tail in the muzzle of her rifle and shoot it, the recoil sent her fly backward several meters due to the slippy snow. However, the high velocity grenade plunged straight into the broken fuselage and detonated inside with meters-wide blast.

This doesn't do much against the Grimm and it's hostages, but it tore through already weak fuselage and made the Grimm distracted as it's legs caved in. This gave the soldiers the opening they need, and one of them managed to slip away and stab the Grimm's arm with a beam saber to free his friend.

"Get out of here!" Jaune grabbed one of them and with skillful use of centrifugal force and his aura-boosted muscle, threw the soldier at the direction of Ciel and Ruby. Penny did the same with the other soldier, thanks to the huge strength granted by her prosthetic.

The soldiers landed face first but otherwise unharmed. It was honestly kind of nauseating.

"Hide and request reinforcement, we don't know if we can hold against it forever." Ciel commanded. "Jaune Arc, you have control."

The soldiers nodded and pulled their scrolls out as they scurried away to safety. If possible they would help the students, but with just beam saber and beam pistol, there weren't much they can accomplish here.

Jaune raised his rifle and fired, however, with uncanny grace, somehow the Grimm danced out of his line of fire, before shortly swung it arms and deliver a fist the size of human torso.

Jaune just barely managed to raise his guard, and the giant fist hit his buckler with most of it's force deflected away. The leftover impact was more than enough to twist his shoulder enough to make him flinch, and most definitely took some of his aura.

Jaune got a flashback to that moment where he had to slap aside a truck to stop a traffic accident from taking place. Same amount of pain, same amount of impact.

Jaune ducked aside and reloaded his recoiless cannon. However, the young man looked with horror as the Grimm's left fist came from underneath and barely missed his jaw. And yet, the shockwave alone was more than enough to stun him and wreck his footing. In this moment of weakness, the Grimm grabbed his cannon and crushed it right on the weakest part: the bolt assembly.

"OH CRAP-"

The blond former Militia swung his fist in anger, combined weight of his buckler and his arm smacked the face of the Gorilla-like Grimm and threw it a step behind. The Grimm shook it's head and then roared shortly before it realized Jaune wasn't even there.

From above, Jaune clutched his finger and delivered the most devastating double sledge Ciel have seen, so much that the Grimm's own feet sunk deeper to the ground.

And yet, it wasn't enough, as the Gorilla grabbed Jaune's face threw the six foot young man aside.

Penny came from behind as the Grimm was occupied by Jaune, her Buster Sword fully unleashed and she chopped through the shoulder of the creature. The creature's fully tensed muscle could not bear the strain and took more damage than it should be when relaxed. It roared in pain.

Penny delivered a flurry of barrage which caused more and more damage, virtually carved a messily open wound that show the Grimm's inner left shoulder.

"It's working." Penny confirmed, but she did not see the Creature spun it's body and slapped her Dinochrome-plated body like a tin can. Her figure slammed through the burning wreckage of the Bullhead, scattered pieces of metal flew from the site of the impact.

"PENNY!" Ruby screamed in anger as she boosted herself ahead, leaving a trail of space distortion behind her. The combined thrust of her semblance and gravity-based ammo propelled her to subsonic speed, and she crossed the distance in the time takes for a blink. "TAKE THIS!"

Ruby fired her scythe again to add more force to her subsequent strike, and she sliced down the place where Penny hit, caused the gash to grow larger than before. The Grimm tried to fend of the red menace, but Ruby dodged and jumped in a way that it would be impossible to catch her. All the while slashing and dicing her way to cover the Grimm's body with shallow cuts. She tried to aim for existing injury, and thank heavens, her attacks were working. For each cut she managed to deliver, the arm become less and less attached

Before she could deliver final blow however, the creature managed to catch her by her coat, forced her to unbutton it or else she'll be bludgeoned to death.

Ciel, in the chaos, managed to cross the field unnoticed and landed near the wreckage. She found Penny's arm sticking out, and with all her might, she pulled her out.

"She's low on aura but..." Ciel muttered her teeth as she saw her scroll, "Polendina, are you conscious?"

Penny's eyes shine for a moment, "I am combat ready."

Ciel heed no attention and simply offered her arm to help Penny stand.

Ruby and Jaune's body landed on the snow, panting and bruised. Both of their aura were close to the red line as well. At this point, Ciel was the only one whose aura was more than enough to survive direct hit. She pulled another grenade out of it's sleeves, each hung on her belt and then fired it from the muzzle of her rifle.

However, the creature thoughtlessly smacked it away. It appears to know that the grenade she used has impact-triggered fuse.

 _I have to use it._ Ciel thought, as her presence disappeared, with distortion in her wake.

The creature groaned when Ciel managed to find a weakspot between it's armor gaps, but much to her dismay, her sabre struck right on it's stomach without hitting any vital spot. She focused her aura in a burst through her sword, and she managed to pull it out, and along with her sabre, a good chunk of the Grimm's waist.

And yet, not even that seems to slow down the creature, as it stomped the snow to stun Ciel, this sudden shakes left her guard open as the creature swing it's useless arm like a whip against her slender body.

Ciel landed perfectly on her legs, but coughed small amount of bile out. Though her aura-reinforced concealed armor absorbed most of the impact, her stomach still hurt.

 _This isn't a normal Beringel_. She thought as she wiped the liquid off her lips. _What's with the speed and precision of it's movement?_

"FOOLITH...OOMAN..." The creature suddenly spoke, "MAH...POWA... UNMATCHED."

For the first time in her days as student of Atlas Academy, Ciel lost her composure and widened her eyes in shock. _It... talks?_

"It's a Savage! be careful!" Jaune shouted and lifted Ruby's weakened body. _No wonder it seems to know martial arts. That bastard._ Jaune cursed inwardly.

They came up in many tales and historical records, with varying names and permutations. Monsters worse than the Grimm, they are demons bred from the depth of humanity's darkness itself. Various accounts recorded them with such details and frequency that historian have concluded that they're the same group of creatures.

They are parody of themselves, a twisted caricature of human body and mind reanimated with all-corrupting cells of the Grimm. Possessed, zombies, whatever they're called, they're all the same. Hateful, vengeful, and destructive entities capable of combining human ingenuity and strength of the Grimm to cause death and suffering.

Savage.

"It's a Savage?!" Ruby shrieked, in fact, one could see that she's almost in tears. Ruby feared no Grimm, but she feared the Savages. She had really bad experience with them to the point that her grip on her weapon loosened a bit, and she tried to catch it and failed. "What should we do?! What should we do?!"

Jaune looked at his teammates with worry, even the unshakable Ciel look disturbed, and Ruby who would throw her small body in the raging fire of combat against terrorists, was somehow unwilling to commit? His own feet barely managed to withstand the weight of his body, his resolve too... it grew weaker every second.

"Does it matter?" Penny asked with uncanny innocence as she pulled her Buster sword out of smoking wreck, "It is not, invulnerable."

Penny slowly walked toward her teammates, her movement became more sluggish and robotic than before. It could be damages on her joints and servos, or something else. Either way, it's very clear that her body wasn't at the best condition.

And yet, she doesn't seems to be caught in fear, the way her teammates were.

Jaune looked at the creature with cold rage as he pulled another cigarette and light it to calm himself. "Penny is right, the least we can do is to put it away from it's misery."

Ruby and Ciel's jaws agape for a moment... but Ruby took her Scythe back and spun it around her body with such speed it appears to be weightless. She took a deep breath and then cocked the bolt to throw away a spent cartridge. her silver eyes gleamed with newfound determination.

Ruby smiled, "On a second thought, let's kill it."

Ciel sighed, as finally she regained her poker face, her teammates will surely be the end of her rational live. "You have a plan?"

Jaune pulled something out of his coat, something like... a thick metal plate. "I always have a plan." Jaune said, echoing one of the more outrageous things Ruby said to him in their first meeting.

"Can we use my plan instead?" Ruby whined.

"No." Ciel and Jaune both replied, much to her dismay.

The creature observed the four young humans, they have recovered from their fright. This isn't... convenient, to say at the least. The Savage's clever mind know there's something wrong with how they acted right now. But in it's core, Savages are Grimm, and Grimm can't always be rational at the time.

Especially when it's injured, and angered.

The Grimm roared and charged ahead, focused all of it's strength and anger on it's fist.

Jaune dodged aside and slapped something on it's chest armor. A metal plate-like object that beeped aloud and then stabbed it with some kind of claw. Before the creature could react, the plate exploded with such force that it threw the Grimm several steps backward, the shock wave of which blasted foot-thick snow on the explosion site.

 _It hurts._

It's chest hurts.

before the smoke even subsided, a grenade blasted it's chest once again, broke through the plates and shattered them into pieces, exposed a gaping wound. It's charred flesh, it's ribs, a still beating heart and inflated lungs.

Behind of which, it's human body reside.

And then, a mechanical sword pierced through it's heart. High pressure blood splashed upon the perpetrator, a young girl with strawberry blonde hair, looked at the creature with innocent expression.

"YOU-"

The creature once again tried to use momentum of it's spinning body to smash Penny away. However, this time around, Penny braced herself and negated the impact with the push of her palms. The creature expressed shock as the much smaller girl managed to resist it's strongest attack.

All thanks to her Dinochrome body.

"-BITCH! I'LL KILL-"

The creature failed to finish it's sentences as razor sharp red scythe coiled around it's neck and cut deep into it's now exposed larynx. As Penny retreated hastily, Ruby fired her scythe again and crushed it's throat before also jumped away.

The creature fell on it's back.

It's throat flooded by it's own blood, and all it could make was sad, guttural noise as it's body began to vaporize. However, it's instinct flared up despite it's injury. It refused to die.

Ruby closed her eyes and grit her teeth as the creature trashed around pitifully. Ciel, Penny and Jaune however, watched as the Grimm smoke dissipates completely, leaving a mangled, half-frozen human corpse behind. Such is the fate of a defeated Savage, destined to die in their lonesome.

"You did a good job." Jaune said as he affectionately rubbed the red-clad girl to ease her pain, "At the very least, let the man have his peace."

"I know that Jaune." Ruby opened her eyes at last, but still pouted. "I know that."

"What should we do with the corpse?" Ciel asked frankly, "Carrying it in it's state would be inconvenient."

"How could you say that?!" Ruby yelled, seriously how could Ciel said that with a straight face? "It's not like we're being stranded in the middle of nowhere!"

Ciel sharpened her eyes, clearly displeased. "I'm just saying-"

"There's no need." Jaune interrupted and let his taller body between them, just in case there's needless conflict between team members. "Our transport are coming."

No less than four aircraft descended, two bullheads and two gunships carrying combat androids. The androids and soldiers scrambled down to secure the perimeter, killing the smaller Grimm who were attracted by the commotion.

* * *

 **[TO SHINE IN MEDIOCRITY]**

 **The Story of Atlas Academy**

 **By**

 **ZeroXSEED**

* * *

 **Chapter 08 - Bystander**

* * *

"That last deflection sure was amazing, Penny." Jaune said, "I don't think I can do that even with my full strength."

"Yeah, she stopped a speeding trailer on her own back then as well." Ruby nodded excitedly, "You might be the strongest member of our team."

"Thank, you." Penny delivered her usual creepy smile again, but at this point, Jaune and Ruby had been too ecstatic about their success. Instead of being disturbed, they both laughed.

"What about your... prosthetic?" Ciel asked, unusually hesitant. Not that the other two members aid attention.

"There seems to be some damage on my wiring, but nothing that simple maintenance can not fix." Penny said, gestured her chest stiffly, "As the first unit to use full military grade dinochrome body, I'm still experiencing various problem with practical implementation, necessitating frequent inspection and overhaul due to structural flaws."

"You mean you use... military prototypes?" Ruby's eyes widened, "That's... AWESOME!"

Jaune sighed in relief, if Penny really use prototypes, it would make sense for her prosthetic to have problems. Still, he felt worried about it as well, "Isn't it really dangerous to use such buggy component in combat? I mean no offense, I don't think even market-grade Durandal prosthetic broke that easily. And aren't Dinochrome parts supposed to be stronger?"

"Penny Polendina is gathering various useful data regarding Dinochrome based machinery for various purposes, but most importantly Atlas military." Ciel cut him off, "There's nothing she can do about it."

"What do you mean 'nothing'? She could always refuse!" Ruby jumped off her seat, "Right, Penny?"

"I have no objection to it." Penny shook her head, "It is, after all, my duty. It would also help a lot of people, if this project success, a new breakthrough in prosthetic technology, can be achieved. It could make prosthetic that both cheaper and stronger so more people can afford it."

"Well if you say that..." Ruby shrunk and retreated to her seat, still visibly concerned. "Just be sure to get thorough checkup. Promise?"

"I promise." Penny nodded.

"[We're here kids, pack your things and get your arse to medical area.]" The copilot informed, "[Polendina, you go to engineering section, your father is waiting.]"

"Thank you." Penny stood, then looked at her teammates. "Let's meet again in the multipurpose hall after I get my checkup."

"Bye." Ruby winced and waved her hand, and the strawberry blond girl disappeared, her green-clad figure surrounded by multiple soldiers that escorted them to the engineering section. Meanwhile, the other three are rushed by the medics right away to the school infirmary.

"Anything painful?"

"Nothing, I think?" Jaune said, "Okay, my waist hurt."

"My uncle." Ruby winced, "My ankle I mean."

"My stomach." Ciel replied.

"Well get undressed, we'll have thorough checkup." The doctor said with no-nonsense tone.

Which Ciel and Jaune immediately follow without shame, much to Ruby's embarrassment. "WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING?! AT LEAST GET A CURTAIN!"

"You need to get accustomed to it, most of Atlas facility is unisex with the exception of changing closet. Yes, shower too." One of the Nurse commented, shortly before she realized something. "...Aren't you too young to be here?"

"She's recommended to enroll by General Ironwood himself." Ciel simply explained, which the infirmary staff responded by resounding "Oooh."

Hesitantly, Ruby removed her clothes. Not all of them of course, she left her stocking and camisole on. Ciel herself dressed in sports bra and pants, which explain her lack of issues as she strip herself, while Jaune just go on with a bunny-patterned boxer and nothing much.

Ciel had faint but visible bruise on her stomach, she looked at it and sighed.

"Seriously, Jaune. bunny-pattern?" Ruby chuckled and then burst out laughed.

"What's wrong with bunny-patterns?!" Jaune protested.

What makes all the the difference to Ciel was Jaune's body. It was littered by numerous, if faint scars, the most obvious ones being a long vertical gash on his back, obscured by black tattoo in strange shape. The center part of the tattoo is the most prominent, some kind of... eye?

"Did you get that tattoo in the militia too?" Ciel blurted out, and then immediately regretted it and rolled her eyes aside. "I mean, never mind, just pretend I didn't ask."

"Nah, I got it when I have a spinal surgery before I went to militia. It was supposed to channel my aura or something along that line, to make my spine work again. It worked wonders."

"Did General know?" Ciel raised her eyebrow.

"Of course, I have my medical history on my transcript as well. And since there's no problem with it's illegitimacy, I don't think Atlas forbid people with something like that. As long as they're fit enough to fight." Jaune laughed as he entered the medical capsule, "I mean, Penny, you know..."

"That's true." Ciel averted her eyes.

"-And I'm saying, Neptune, you gotta shape up and-" Neon rambled as she entered the infirmary, only to stumble on the half-naked students, "Already started huh."

"What, you guys got hurt too?" Jeanne asked, "What kind of Grimm you ran into?"

"It was..." Ruby hesitated for a moment and closed her eyes, "Beringel."

"Figures it would be something like that." Weiss finally entered with Neptune, which made Ruby reflexively hide behind a curtain. It's not that she was specifically embarrassed by Neptune or anything, but she did it out of habit. Mostly because her tactless brother...

"We got our shit squared by a Kai Leng. It broke our Bullhead in half when we're airborne." Jeanne whined, "Ow my back."

Jaune woke up from the capsules, and stretched his limbs. "Kai L-what? You get your arse booted by a Penguin?"

"Not just a big-ass Penguin." Neon corrected, "A freaking Savage. Thank deities Neptune have his paper tail-thingy or else we're boned."

"It's Paper Talisman, lady." Neptune scolded her gently and wiggled his hand.

"You too huh. It wasn't just any Beringel we fought too." Jaune mumbled and then lost in thought as the nurses applied some pain relief patches on his body. Two savage encounters... that sounds like...

"Suspicious, wasn't it?" Weiss closed her scarred left eye. She didn't remove much of her clothes before entering the capsule, just her cardigan and boots. "The school should've secured the area of Initiation beforehand to prevent this kind of issue. And yet, two teams encountered savages as if..."

One could tell even the staff looked uneasy with the news. The atmosphere in the infirmary become much heavier afterward. Ruby skittishly entered the second capsule that obscured from the view by the first one.

"They're waiting for us." Neptune crossed his arms, unusually serious himself.

Weiss finished her checkup, and she didn't receive any medication. Ciel entered next, while Ruby finished her's soon and immediately dressed herself up, and after received some instruction from the nurse, she removed her stocking and rubbed some ointment on her bruised ankle.

"Nothing major, you'll be fine after some medication. Your aura will handle the rest." The Doctor said to Ciel.

"Thank you." Ciel nodded and slapped on her concealable vest armor again, before covering it with her shirt.

"Neptune, what are you moping about?" Jeanne yelled as she and Neon entered their medical capsules, as it's their turn to be examined.

"Ladies first." Neptune winced, in actuality he's actually embarrassed to undress. He'll have to wait until they leave.

Under the spotlight, teams of students were called to the stage, one by one, and christened their team names and official leaders. Due to the need for medical checkup and the much debriefing, Jaune, Weiss and their respective team members came late.

Nonetheless, they got the fanfare they deserved. The news that the two teams fought the hardest encounters in the entire Initiation spread fast like wildfire in a dry forest. None of other teams could be that confident to win against Savages by themselves.

It was a testament of their strength and tenacity.

"[Jaune Arc, Ciel Soleil, Penny Polendina, Ruby Rose. The four of you will become team JASPER, led by Jaune Arc.]"

Jaune just quietly smiled, though looked somewhat a little sad. He didn't look entirely surprised himself, just he wished it wasn't him again. All he did back then was bumbling around and being bossy to his team members, thinking he got everything in order.

They succeeded, and survived an encounter with a Savage, but still... part of Jaune's wondered. Is being a leader good enough?

He's officially a huntsman in training now.

Something the past him wouldn't have ever dreamed.

"What's with that long face, you're the leader now!" Ruby slapped his back, and Jaune winced because Ruby hit his bruised waist.

"OW! I mean one would've thought Ciel is the best option." Jaune sheepishly said.

"You said it yourself." Ciel smiled, unusually... lighthearted? Almost teasing even, "I am content to be your Adjutant instead, Jaune Arc."

Jaune rubbed his face, _me and my big-ass mouth_.

"[Weiss Schnee, Neptune Vasilas, Jeanne Arc, Neon Katt. The four of you will be team SWAN, led by Weiss Schnee, congratulations.]"

Weiss stepped forward with pride and bowed gracefully as she lifted part of her skirt, while her teammates just clapped. "Way to go Weiss!" Neon whistled.

Weiss turned back to face her team, at least, her being Team leader soothed her wounded pride... a bit. The she approached Jaune and offered her left hand. "Congratulations, Jaune."

Jaune instinctively lifted his right hand, only to halt it midway and switched to his left to grasp her's. "Yeah, let's work together from now on."

"Congrats, Weiss." Ruby cheered from their side.

His twin sister punched his chest lightly, her grin couldn't possibly grew wider. "Way to go, beating me on your first day at school. Mom and Dad will be proud once they hear this!"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, we haven't even started our class." Jaune wryly smiled, and he's being honest. He's not exceptionally confident with anything except his own half-assed leadership. His intelligence and combat skill still lacking compared to these students, they're so far above him it's almost funny.

The worst part was losing his main weapon, it was not permanently broken, the pretzel-shaped bolt assembly can be replaced in no time flat. The fact that he was disarmed by a Grimm of all things, this fact infuriated his pride as a soldier. His three teammates received similar beatings, and none of them lost their weapons like he did.

He still lacked what it took to be like his mother, or his sister. And it _hurt_. He don't want to tarnish his family name, he wanted to make them proud, he wanted to carry himself with pride.

And yet, at the same time, he was glad he able to passed the tests. It was a step in the right direction. The fact that he could walk alongside these seven talented students, it's something that put his troubled mind at ease.

He will have to shape up so he doesn't hold them back.

At the very least, he could stop being a bystander.

* * *

 **つづく**


	9. Chapter 9

Atlas Dorm, unlike that of other academies, were integrated directly within the school building itself. Again, the main reason of which being heat retention efficiency. Built in the coldest place in the country proper, the whole complex need significant amount of dust to sustain and remain comfortable.

Essentially, the entirely of the Atlas Academy is a gigantic, labyrinth shaped igloo.

Fortunately, the issue of navigation were solved by virtue of signposts. Unless someone is exceptionally bad at direction, they're unlikely to be completely lost.

"So this is the dorm room." Neptune whistled, "A lot more shiny than I thought."

"Most of the floors are covered with ceramics." Ciel said. "Also, the windows are permanently shut and laminated, so please don't open it with force."

"You seems to know a lot about the academy." Jeanne quipped, "You guys have been here before?"

"Alsius was practically the same anyway." Neon shrugged, couldn't care less about it. "From one boring school to another."

And Weiss, in her usual fashion, explained in greater details. "This was originally Alsius school complex. However, as government, companies and eventually scientific communities moved in for security reason, Alsius expand from simple combat school into combination of Hunter Academy, Military Command, and Federal government headquarters. So the second building that become Alsius now was built based on the technology developed in this one as replacement for the old one. And the old Alsius become the Atlas Academy we're standing on."

"I'm not from Alsius though." Ciel said, "Actually, I will have to inform you all just in case you don't know, the architecture of the dorm is a bit quirky."

"Quirky?" Jaune raised his eyebrow.

"Instead of room of four students, each dorm is divided into rooms of two. Each two rooms shared a toilet and a shower, so a team would be divided in two and connected only by the small spaces where the door to the main corridor present." Ciel shown them on her Scroll, "For each section of eight dorm room there's shared kitchen and a lounge."

Neptune raised one of his eyebrow in confusion, "That doesn't sounds efficient at all. Smaller dorm and bigger bathroom huh?"

"It was a mistake in planning, originally it was patterned after Atlas Military barrack. However, it seems that this arrangement works better for student's comfort and privacy, so the academy decided to keep it. They simply removed the doors that divide two room, so now they're connected."

This time around, Ruby was the one perplexed and waved her hands exaggeratedly. "What? What about bunk beds? I always want to have a bunk bed! I mean, this is military right? Where are the bunk beds?!"

"Bunk beds are for ship deployment and outpost, I believe." Ciel said, seemingly don't understand Ruby's reaction when the younger girl crouched down and pouted. Weiss was about to say something, then decided not to.

"Ruby, you need to watch less Great War movies." Jaune put his hand on the girl's red head, "That sounds like Vacuo Militia than anything else."

"So let me guess, the issue would be dividing teams about who sleep with who?" Jaune blurted out, which made the girls except Ciel and Penny stared at him with shock, which in turn made the blond man confused, "What? Why are you staring at me like that?"

Neon burst out laughing enough to send her on the floor rolling, Ruby just looked away in disgust, and Weiss clenched her fists before yelled. "How could you say that with a straight face?!"

"I don't understand." Penny tilted her head, then looked at Ciel. Ciel just sighed in disbelief.

"Phrasing." Neptune told him at last, with emphasis.

Jaune wondered for a couple of seconds what's the problem was, before he realized his mistake, "My bad. I mean who share a room and all that."

"That's better." Weiss crossed her arms with audible "Humph."

 _You girls are perverted as hell._ Jaune cursed inwardly, not that he will say that out loud. "I'm fine with anyone as a roommate, Militia, remember?"

"Barracks in my old military school is similar, I have no specific preference as well." Ciel said straightforwardly, "Like I said, the two rooms of each team still connected."

"I don't mind, myself." Penny raised her hand. "It sounded interesting."

"I, well..." Ruby leered at Jaune warily as the scenes in her cousin's apartment comes to mind. It's not that she afraid of him, Ruby just feel it would be uncomfortable for either of them. "Penny, how about we share a room? I mean Ciel doesn't seem to mind sharing with Jaune so yeah. Dibs on the left wing?"

"That's, wonderful." Penny nodded, "We will take the left wing, if you don't mind."

"Sure, I'll take the right wing." Jaune nodded, then switched his attention to their neighboring team. "How about you guys?"

Weiss and Jeanne both looked at Neptune with demeaning eyes, much to Neptune's protest. "Ladies, I don't appreciate the silent accusation."

"Meh, pussies." Neon said mockingly as she dragged Neptune inside, "You're with me, playboy. We can have fun all day, everyday. Rrowr~!"

"Hey, careful with the buttons!"

Which leaves Weiss to share a room with Jeanne. They quietly get in their room without exchanging a single words, and immediately dropped their tired, battered body on the bed after changing to their pajamas. Today, it has been too tiring, too many things happened at once.

"I'm glad I shared a room with you, Weiss." Jeanne laughed, "It'll be fun school experience for sure."

"Yeah sure, we can go shopping, paint our nails and talk about boys." Weiss deadpanned, "Or not."

"Yeah, boys are crude, unrefined and tries too hard." Jeanne said, unusually bitter. "The boys can screw themselves."

Weiss wondered if Jeanne had bad experience. But she missed her point entirely anyway.

"That's not what I mean." Weiss told her, while Neptune in particular tries too hard, Weiss can't really agree with crude and unrefined being perfect adjectives to use him, and Jaune for that matter. If anything, Jaune and Neptune felt like a breath of fresh air, with their youthful simplicity and earnestness. Too many boys and men Weiss knew hid venomous fang behind their seemingly friendly act and elite upbringing. Even her own brother.

"Nevermind." Weiss decided to put a pair of earmuffs and shut her eyes, when she saw Jeanne already snoring.

On the other side of the corridor...

"What are you doing, Ruby?" Penny asked as Ruby immediately went to sit in front of the table instead of her bed, Ruby looked at her and smiled.

"Writing a letter."

Penny peeked on with her usual stiff posture, "A letter, a handwritten letter? Don't they take a long time, to reach the destination?"

"Yes." Ruby said, "My writing doesn't look that good and waiting for it to reach the person can be tiring but... I like it. It feels a lot better than just typing a message on the scrolls. You know, it feels like your effort are worthy and being rewarded when you get a reply."

"I don't follow, but it's good, to do things you like." Penny said as she sit on her bed, "I don't really have anything I particularly like."

"You'll find it someday." Ruby assured her, "I'm writing to my old friends at Signal academy, then I'll also write a letter for my brother Mercury and my cousin Yang, they're going to Beacon starting this year."

"They're going to Beacon." Penny repeated her words, "That's wonderful."

"I know right? They're so cool and so awesome, they're really, really strong and I can never beat them at Signal." Ruby wryly smiled, "Sayign that though, we're now on different schools at different continent, so it's kind of pointless."

"It is not, pointless." Penny shook her head, "There's still Vytal Festival, at the end of the school year. I am sure you will, meet them there."

Ruby blinked and grinned at Penny's attempt of encouragement, "You're right. Gotta make sure our team qualified by then."

* * *

 **[SHINE IN MEDIOCRITY]**

 **The Story of Atlas Hunter Academy**

 **By**

 **ZeroXSEED**

* * *

 **Chapter 09 - Days  
**

* * *

"Feels like I'm born anew." Jaune said as he buttoned up his collar and tighten his necktie. He used to hate shirt a lot when he was younger, but after the militia experience, he couldn't just go away without buttons. Shirts just don't feel the same without outer garb, and thankfully Atlas uniform came with simple, elegant vest by default.

Even when heated up, the temperature inside the academy was kept at twenty degrees. It feels a little cold, not much, but still cold. He just spent an hour having a light workout but he already feel stiff.

"Who's the handsome one? You're the handsome one." He chuckled, only to realize Ciel stood just behind him, "Whoa, you surprised me."

"You woke up early." She said with no nonsense, unaffected by his brief display of narcissism. It seems that Ciel just returned from training herself, judging from the sheer amounts of weapon strapped to her body. "Not that it's bad or anything."

"People woke up early and punch each other to get first dibs on shower in militia." Jaune said, "In parts of Vacuo, water can be insanely precious commodity and you can only bring so many water dust without wasting money."

Ciel just chuckled a bit as she stored her training equipment, unpacked her uniform and get inside the bathroom and locked the doors. Jaune on the other hand just returned to his bed and made sure his stuff are neatly arranged in his personal cabinet, desk, and even foot locker.

He didn't really bring that much stuff from Vacuo, but his most important clothes is his old, war-torn militia uniform. He consider to ditch it few times in the past week, but it's so hard to discard a symbol of his strength, where he learned not just to defend himself but others in need. An old, rusted photo frame rested on top of his table with the pictures of his former squad. Another, larger photo frame made of wood had his younger self, all seven of his sisters and their parents.

Come to think of it, it's been three years since the last time he took a picture with Jeanne.

Ciel's looks much more formal than what he had. He wonder if she even bring anything superfluous. There's a couple of medals that Ciel probably earned in her military school, and what looks like her school graduation certificates. No photos to display outside her portrait on these certificates, progressively older yet all of them retain equally serious expressions.

"It looks quite arrogant to display something like that, right?" Ciel returned and commented idly, though without slightest bit of shame in her tone.

She wore almost identical uniform to him, thick cotton white shirt under light gray vest, with slight difference of collar shape. The only difference between girls and boys uniform were the bottom part, the boys only wear long trouser which comes in white or gray, while the girls have an option for gray pleated skirt as well.

...Well technically no one forbid the boys to wear a skirt either. But that's not Jaune's style.

"Can't really say that myself." Jaune said half joking, "I mean I knew people who would frame their own giant portrait with gold frame worth of seventeen thousand lien. That's what I'd call arrogant."

"That's more like..." Ciel looks miffed at least, though she looked calm, her face twitched occasionally. "Wasteful."

"Not mutually exclusive, aren't they?" Jaune scoffed, and stood up "Class start in nine, so I'd like to grab a grub before we can start. Let's ask if Ruby and Penny if they want some too."

 _What's a grub? Did he mean insect?_ Ciel wondered.

The two of them went to their teammate's room to find Ruby and Penny trying to stack the two beds together, making a bunk bed. They managed to sucessfully place the top bed, only for one of it's legs to slip off and Penny hurriedly scrambled to catch it, preventing the bed form falling.

"This is harder than I thought." Ruby sighed, "We're not allowed to nail the wall so I can't really use rope to suspend it."

 _Ah, no nailing the wall huh? Atlas policy is surprisingly strict on that one._ Jaune rubbed his chin then ran back to his room as he shouted, "I've got something to help, a second please?"

Jaune returned with a roll of duct tape in his hand, Ciel instead quipped. "That's twenty three second."

Jaune ignored her and then rolled the tape multiple times around the area where the legs and the bedpost connected, firmly secured them from slipping. After the four of them done, Ruby and penny now can release their grip.

"Objective complete!" Ruby raised her hands, "Thanks Jaune!"

"Wonderful." Penny nodded in agreement. "You two finished early?"

"We don't really bring much item to begin with." Ciel said flatly, "We want to ask if you want to go to mess hall right away."

"Fifteen minutes!" Ruby said, "Penny already got her shower, I haven't."

Later yet...

"Miss Rose it's already Sixteen minutes and thirty second." Ciel said in threatening tone, "If it were military school the instructor would throw a tear gas dispenser in the shower."

"A MINUTE! A MINUTE!" Ruby shouted from inside the bathroom.

"Ciel, isn't that a little too much?" Jaune grabbed her shoulder.

"One second can make the difference between life and death. You were in the militia, weren't you?"

"Ruby doesn't have any military training whatsoever, let her have fun for once." He gently told her, "A figure of speech isn't some unbreakable oath."

Ciel blinked and sighed, "If our leader said so."

And in the seventeen minute mark, Ruby jumped out of bathroom, fully dressed. "Sorry, I have to find how to attach my cloak on this."

"...coats aren't allowed, Miss Rose." Ciel told her.

"WHAT?!" Ruby balked, then slumped as she unbuttoned her beloved red cloak, neatly folded it and put it on her bed, the top one that is. "Meet you later, uuu."

"Let's eat breakfast when we have time, it's only... twenty minutes and-or so." Ciel said as she struggled to define unit of time in most vague possible. The she gave up. "Twenty three minutes and fifty five-"

"WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING?!" A scream came across from the opposite door, and Jaune rushed to enter SWAN Team room. He found a sleepy Jeanne stood and yawned, behind a fully dressed Weiss fumed with anger.

"What's the matter Weiss?" Jaune approached them, and found Neon curled over Neptune.

Literally, like a cat.

Weiss' glare couldn't really get wider, "Such indecent act is-"

Ciel whipped out the student book and read aloud, "-Not prohibited under Atlas Academy code of conduct. Unless it involves teachers and students, officers and enlisted, as well as people within a chain of command. Also if involves minor. That's highly illegal."

"I'm illegal!" Ruby quipped aloud for some reason, while Jeanne peeked in, "There's a rule for that?"

Weiss was about to say yes but then stopped, "That besides the point."

"Yeah, Neptune would be DYING to know." Jeanne snorted, "And I mean literally, look."

Neptune's dark skin seems to be much paler, and he's sweating badly. it was as if he got a...

"WOAH!" Neptune screamed, and thanks to uncontrolled aura burst, he threw Neon's sleeping body. Neon blinked and woke up midway, only for her to spun midair, bounced off the wall and land safely on all fours without harming herself or the room.

"Morning." She yawned.

"What was THAT?" Weiss questioned her, "Did you just slept with Neptune?"

"Literally." the Arc Twins chorused.

"Hmmm?" Neon rubbed her eyes, "Oh I might've sleepwalked again because it's so cold."

"No wonder I felt so uncomfortable, phew. That's the worst sleep paralysis I ever got in my life." Neptune grumbled, "Please do not desecrate my body without permission."

"With permission alright?" Neon pointed her thumbs, Neptune wanted to retort, but then nodded almost jokingly. "With permission."

This does not soothe Weiss' anger in the slightest, and argument broke out between every member of team Swan. Or rather, Weiss scolded everyone and Neptune tred to calm her down and fail, while Jeanne and Neon couldn't be arsed to respond seriously to her complaint.

Ruby just Ciel and Weiss while Penny follows, Jaune looked at his teammates and chuckled. _Is this what a normal college feels like?_

Mess hall was a lot more underwhelming experience than some of the students expected, aside from Jaune and Ciel who felt at home more than anything else. The length of the room as immense, to the point that it has visible curve around the wall followed the contour of the academy architecture. But the low ceiling made the room felt like the inside of a giant train instead.

"Mess hall in Alsius is much bigger." Neon twitched, "Ugh, this made me hard to breathe."

"It's almost as if they made mess hall an afterthought." Weiss nodded, "This is hugely disappointing."

"It's efficient." Ciel said in the defense of military pride, "You don't need fancy space to eat, or do you?"

"Well I can't really say it's good or bad but uh... yeah, it's kinda cramped here." Ruby looked at the ceiling, so awfully low that she could hear clearly the sound of air being sucked into ventilation.

It's almost irritating.

"Couldn't be worse than eating under a tent in a sandstorm." Jaune sheepishly said, "On a table designed with eight people in mind, but with eighteen people around it-OH HEY BUFFETS!"

Everyone looked at the direction where Jaune quickly rushed to, it seems that instead of being served by multiple staff or robotic servant, the meals in Atlas academy were self serving. The robots simply took steaming pots and plate filled with all sort of meal from the kitchen which located elsewhere. The students all neatly arranged themselves on a line around the table to pick the food they want.

"Y'now what, I take it back, this is awe-sum!" Neon rushed to get in line, followed by Jeanne. "I agree, can't really go wrong with buffet."

"Actually, in case of food poisoning-" Ciel raised a finger, but Weiss pushed it down to stop her needless rambling. "That would be enemy action in the works and thats a worst case scenario."

"-So that's my number, feel free to call me anytime~" Neptune winked, followed by the chorus of girls squealing as he show his narrow, slender back to them to join his teammates. As always, he never wasted his time to flirt at every opportunity. Even before Breakfast. "Now it's time to fulfill my biological needs-"

His sight met that of Penny's eerily curious eyes.

"You, are, popular." Penny said.

"Oh, yeah sweetheart. Not to brag but I love to have so many pretty friends." Neptune said nonchalantly, "Like you are."

...Something about her facial expression seems... off. But Neptune dismissed the thought, if anything, Penny had the smoothest skin of any girl he ever meet, it's kind of beautiful and yet unreal even. Can't say she's out of his league, but something about Penny just seems odd.

"I am, pretty?" Penny tilted her head and smiled in confusion, seemingly not phased by his faint praise. "Are we, friends now?"

For some reason, Neptune's expression become softer and less flirty as he patted her shoulder. "Of course we are, Penny." He assured her, then head off as Neon and Jeanne waved their hands at his direction. "C'mon, our friends are waiting."

Penny took a few seconds to contemplate it, and it was Ruby's voice who brought her back to real world. "Come on Penny, we'll be late!"

The robot drone crawled back from her bag and sat on her shoulder and whined a couple of times.

"...Is it alright, to be friends with, them?"

The mechanical spider whined again and bobbed in agreement.

"Thank you."

And with heavy footsteps resounded on the floor, Penny ran toward the buffet line to join the rest.

"Does that mean, Jaune is pretty too, Neptune?" She suddenly asked when she finally sat down, which caused Jeanne, Ruby and Neon to spat their drinks in concert, while Weiss chocked on her food from shock. Ciel helped Weiss and gave her a glass of water.

"Neptune, I don't swing that way. Not surprised you're charmed with my pretty face though." Jaune calmly told him, his lack of hostility was oddly morbid. Jaune then gestured at Jeanne. "Instead, you have my blessing to go for my twin sister here. Just don't cheat on her, you'll be castrated."

"Oh so I'm your type huh, Neptune~?" Jeanne teased the sweating blue haired playboy, and her sultry voice freaked him out, which caused Neon to cackle madly in tears as she banged the table repeatedly while Ruby's skin grew few shades redder than her missing cloak. Weiss just popped a couple of veins in anger, and Ciel simply couldn't be arsed to pay attention any longer and just eat her food in peace.

"STOP BANGING THE TABLE, KATT!" Weiss yelled, "MISTER VASILAS!"

"I can explain!" Neptune shrieked, "Penny, help me explain!"

"Eh?" The strawberry blonde tilted her head in confusion, again. This caused Neptune to yell in anguish.

This group is like anti-cool personified, and will be the bane of his reputation and dignity. All the while, Penny was left out of the loop.

Her days... no, their days in the Atlas Academy has just begun...

* * *

 **つづく**


	10. Interlude 01

"Your name... is?"

 _A morning glow colors trailing white clouds_  
 _They calmly come flowing, signal and_  
 _Run through the heavens_

"My name is..."

 _Sounds of wind play awakening_  
 _Woods of a forest. Then woods shine, shake and sing_  
 _The song of arrival_

Snow fell from the sky, the colorful lights reflecting from the surface was brilliant, and the sky was as dark as always. Eternal darkness covered the harshest winter in the north of Atlas, sometimes, no sunlight ever graced the land.

Everything is black and white.

Such a gloomy and lifeless place, why did people decide to live here?

Mist clouded the window, and so, the pale white hands of the young heiress wiped it with contempt. The scene remains the same, no matter how many times she looked at it.

She hated it.

Sometimes, she dreamed of the past. The hazy memories from her childhood, back when she had nothing to worry about. Back when she didn't realize that she was neither beloved nor revered for being her own person.

Such innocence, one might long for it. Even she, for her realization of the curse placed upon her name, oftentimes escaped to the land of dreams, where she would forget all of her hatred.

Dream of the past, where beautiful grassland spanned as far as the eye could go.

What was this place again?

* * *

 **[SHINE IN MEDIOCRITY]**

 **The Story of Atlas Hunter Academy**

 **By**

 **ValiantX3**

* * *

 **Interlude 01 - Monochrome Prison  
**

* * *

As she closed her eyes, the image become slightly clearer. The light of the sun bathed the land through the thick leaves of the forest, giving everything underneath a tinge of gentle green colors. She looked at her own pale white palm, it's all green.

And then, she laughed. She wondered why.

Wind blew loudly, whistling through the gaps between the trees. The leaves danced and rustled in response, and bird chirped in concert as they left the trees. The young heiress ran through the woods, toward the place where wind blew the strongest.

 _The singing voices of greens that breathe vibrate and the earth glows_  
 _Making the permanent life root and spinning out endless time_  
 _The light which lights heavens goes round and enriches_  
 _The voices of many generations_

She closed her eyes on reflex, as dust and pollen ravaged her face. However, as the wind became calmer, she began to open her eyes slowly.

He stood there, looked at her with curiosity. A blue scarf coiled around his neck, fluttering in the wind like waves on the ocean. His pale blond hair shone underneath the sunny sky, giving a contrast to the green meadow and blue sky behind him.

In hindsight, it was kind of strange.

"You're alone?"

They asked simultaneously.

And then they laughed.

 _Then they become clear and now, lament, rejoice and shout_  
 _The dreams of past days_  
 _In a blink went by_

And so, the boy and the girl traveled across the peaceful land. Through the whispering bushes and gigantic pillars of nature, they did nothing but laugh. There were so many new things to discover.

The world never felt so beautiful.

"I love this so much." She said, "Everything is so white back home, it's always snow everywhere."

"Snow?"

"It's like... uh, monochrome, yeah. Everything is black and white."

The heiress pointed, as if she was trying to be sophisticated.

"Monochrome huh." The boy muttered, "It's really hot back in my home, and everything is so wet and muddy. And I'm not allowed to go to the forest because monsters are here."

"There's no snow there?"

"There isn't."

The boy laughed, "I wish I can see real snow for once."

"But it's really boring you know." The heiress pouted.

"Nah, I bet it's as pretty as your hair." He nonchalantly uttered.

It was so innocent, if someone said that to her now, the heiress would think he's being flirty. The heiress back then just shrugged it off with a little flush on her cheek. Far too many people always praised her beautiful, silvery white hair.

And by now, she was sick of it.

They spent all day walking around, and occasionally, a couple of butlers would call them not to go too far.

They shared a lunch.

The heiress wondered if that was the best lunch she ever had in her entire life.

As the sky turned orange, the weather become slightly warmer as the wind subdued. Her silvery white hair reflected the color, indeed, and so did her white dress. His blue eyes, just like the sky, soon followed.

As the sky became darker, a haze began to engulf the entire woods, and they were forced to leave.

Just a little more, two of them.

Light sparkled, filled the air with blinking lights. Moving, dancing, the fireflies woke up.

"It's a little cold isn't it?" She rubbed her hands.

"Your dress was too thin."

Ah yes, the bluntness of a preteen boy, none can match it's rude innocence.

He took his scarf, far too long for his own, and then he pulled a knife out.

A slice in the center, the scarf now cut in two.

"Poor scarf." She pouted, "Why would you do that?"

A half of which ended in the girl's hand.

"Because you need it. Duh."

"But..."

"You can have it."

He grinned again carelessly, "Now both of us are warm."

She can't help but laugh. And then, in yet another display of obliviousness, he gave her his hand. "My hand's still cold."

And she reached for it, and held it firmly. "Not anymore."

The Heiress woke up from the dream of her hazy past. She could barely remember him anymore, only that... the scarf was still there. He held it, its blue dye washed out by constant use and cleaning.

And now, years had passed, its color became ugly white.

She checked her computer to see what the alarm was about, a bombing attack on the police station nearby...

She chided herself and reached for her coat.

She looked at the scarf, again, and smiled.

Cavalry blade in her hand, she went to the balcony beyond the window. Her eyes were no longer that of a nostalgic princess, but a determined fighter. Ice cold blue eyes set ablaze by aura, she clenched the half scarf and shoved it down her coat.

And then she jumped off the balcony.

Maybe someday, she could meet him again.

But for now, she's caged in this monochrome prison. Unable to set herself free.


End file.
